Horses and People Magazine

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) applauds the actions of the veterinary hospital at the centre of an outbreak of the Hendra virus in Brisbane.

Reports about the Hendra virus (HeV) outbreak in horses near Brisbane over the past few days serves as a timely reminder about the critical importance of monitoring of horses and implementation of biosecurity protocols for horse owners.

Lessons from the recent Equine Influenza outbreak must not be forgotten. This also serves to remind us that emergency disease outbreaks can happen independently of any border quarantine issues. Emergency horse diseases can arise within Australia; they do not necessarily come from off shore.