Hendra Virus is a deadly virus affecting both horses and humans. Hendra was first discovered here in Mackay in 1994 and is a natural virus in the flying fox population which can be transferred to horses through contaminated saliva, urine, faeces or foetal fluids.

Hendra can be shed throughout the horse community as they are contagious before any symptoms of the virus develop. Humans become infected when they are in close contact with infected horse’s bodily fluids such as blood, saliva and nasal discharge.

The good news is that a vaccine has been developed for horses to decrease the virus from spreading within Australia. 

The vaccination must be given by an accredited veterinarian and the information on the vaccinated horse must be recorded on a central data base for management of the spread of disease through horses and humans. The horse requires to be microchipped and the microchip number will be recorded. At this stage the vaccination can be given to horses over the age of 4-6 months and is safe to administer during pregnancy.

In order to protect our vets from this deadly virus we unfortunately are unable to see horses that are unvaccinated. If your horse has received a vaccination at another surgery we are able to look up their vaccine status online to ensure they are 100% covered. You may also provided us with their Hendra vaccination certificate that you will receive once they have been vaccinated.