Hendra virus vet wore no mask

THE vet at the centre of the latest Hendra virus scare was not wearing a face mask when he treated a horse carrying the deadly disease.

THE country vet at the centre of the latest Hendra virus scare in Queensland was not wearing a face mask or protective clothing when he treated a horse carrying the deadly, bat-borne disease.

The experienced veterinarian, a partner in a big practice, is among eight people who will have to wait weeks before knowing whether they are in the clear.

Two properties southwest of Brisbane have been quarantined after a thoroughbred horse came down with the virus and died at the weekend. The vet took blood from the infected animal on Saturday on acreage at Kerry - near Beaudesert, 65km south of Brisbane - before its owner took it home to Biddaddaba, 30km west.

Queensland chief veterinarian Rick Symons praised the Beaudesert vet for his vigilance in testing the "shaky and off-colour" horse, but confirmed he had not been wearing full protective gear.

He had donned gloves, but not a face mask nor the overalls recommended for vets confronted by the flu-like symptoms in horses associated with Hendra virus.

"It's really good he took the test," Dr Symons said. "It means there is awareness of Hendra virus among vets."

The virus is known to emerge only in autumn and winter in Queensland and northern NSW, when migratory flying foxes converge on flowering trees.

Scientists are yet to establish how and why horses are vulnerable to the disease. The virus can be transmitted to people through sick horses' bodily secretions, putting vets at particular risk.

Two of the four known victims have been vets. Another three people, including a veterinary nurse, have survived Hendra infections.

Those exposed in the latest incident have had blood taken, but only as a "baseline" sample to check against future readings.

Acting Queensland Chief Health Officer Aaron Groves said they could be offered an experimental antibody treatment as a precaution. The incubation period for the virus is up to three weeks, doctors say.

Dr Groves said all involved were believed to have had a low to moderate level of exposure and were showing no active signs of the virus so far.

"The longest period of time (to incubate) is 21 days after exposure," Dr Groves said.

"We are letting them know we'd like to do the second blood test within 21 days and another test after six weeks."

Linda Rogers, whose veterinarian husband, Alister Rogers, was the last person to die of Hendra virus, in September 2009, said her heart went out to those caught up in the latest outbreak.

Brisbane vet clinic owner David Lovell, who employed 2008 victim Ben Cunneen and veterinary nurse Natalie Boehm, who survived the infection that killed the 33-year-old vet, said the latest outbreak underlined the need for a vaccine.

CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory has successfully trialled a vaccine for horses, but this will take up to 15 months to get to market. Chris Reardon, of the Australian Veterinary Association, said the industry should consider a European-style "passport" system for horses once the vaccine became available.

This would allow horses without proof of vaccination to be turned away from carnivals, race meetings and other such events.

But Mr Reardon, a Queensland-based horse vet, said it would probably be impractical to mandate vaccination for Hendra virus, despite the threat it posed to human health.