Hendra virus kills horse in NSW

SYDNEY (AAP) - July 01 - A horse has been put down after contracting the Hendra virus on NSW's north coast, the Department of Primary Industries says.
The animal was euthanased early on Thursday morning after its health rapidly deteriorated and the property where it lived near Wollongbar has been quarantined.
Samples from the deceased animal confirmed the presence of Hendra virus, which can be deadly to humans.
Nine people who had been in close recent contact with the horse are being monitored for ill health.
NSW Primary Industries said there was no current link between the Wollongbar case and a recent outbreak of the Hendra virus at Beaudesert in south-east Queensland, where one horse has died and two properties remain quarantined.
"The (NSW) horse had been in a paddock containing a fig tree, so it is likely that flying foxes were the source of infection," NSW Chief Veterinary Officer Ian Roth said in a statement on Friday.
"Hendra virus can spread from flying foxes to horses and, rarely, from horses to people.
"There is one other horse on the Wollongbar property and it is currently in good health."
NSW Primary Industries said an expert panel of public health and infectious diseases physicians from Queensland and NSW was convened on Friday afternoon to provide advice about the outbreaks.
NSW Health advised horse owners to take steps to reduce the risk of becoming infected with Hendra virus, including covering any cuts or abrasions on exposed skin before handling horses and washing hands thoroughly with soap and water.
It also warned against kissing horses on the muzzle.
For more information visit health.nsw.gov.au/factsheets/infectious/hendra.html.