Hendra virus infection risks
- Author:
Hume Field
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- From:Neurology Asia
2009;14(1):77-78
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Bats of the genus Pteropus are natural hosts of henipaviruses, an emergent group of viruses that
includes two recognised members of the genus: Hendra virus and Nipah virus. Hendra virus was first
described in 1994 in Australia. To date, there have been 11 recognised spillover events of Hendra virus
to horses, four of these involving subsequent horse-to-human transmission, Animal health authorities
in Australia foster increased awareness, alertness and preparedness in the horse-owning and veterinary
communities, and encourage husbandry practices to minimize risk of exposure of horses to flying fox
excreta. However, the proximate triggers for spillover events remain unclear.
