Test samples taken from a horse at a Cawarral horse nursery property have come back positive, showing the horse was exposed to Hendra virus. The virus neutralization test utilized is considered the definitive test to determine whether an animal has had the virus in its system.

Biosecurity Queensland acting Chief Veterinary Officer Rick Symons, BVSc, MBA, PhD, said national policy dictates the horse should be humanely euthanized.

“This is a national policy,” Symons said. “Horses can have the virus in their system and recover, but there is an ongoing risk of the virus remaining dormant and reappearing in the future and this presents a potential threat to human and horse health.”

Three horses on a Cawarral, Queensland, property died in late July and early August. Two of the dead horses were confirmed positive for Hendra, a potentially zoonotic virus that has only occurred in Australia