Hendra virus: how prepared are horse owners and vets to tackle emerging zoonoses?

What is Hendra virus?

During my third year at Cambridge, while studying Zoology, I first came across Hendra virus. I was struck by the virus’ unique epidemiology and high mortality rate despite never having heard of it. Hendra is a zoonotic virus originating in bats which can be transmitted to horses and subsequently to humans. Endemic in flying foxes (fruit bats) in Australia, Hendra virus has killed over 100 horses and 4 people since 1994. Although Hendra virus has only been detected in horses in New South Wales and Queensland, the habitat of the flying foxes is more diverse, extending into Western Australia. The Covid-19 pandemic has taught us that spillover events can have catastrophic and global consequences. Despite these concerns, previous studies have revealed poor Hendra virus vaccine uptake, even in high-risk areas. Moreover, no study has yet explored Hendra virus awareness or vaccine uptake in Western Australia, despite Hendra being detected here in a flying fox in 2021. Curious to know how prepared horse owners and vets would be in this region in the case of a spillover event, in fourth year I began a project to survey the awareness of Hendra in Perth (Western Australia).

My time in Perth

In the hills just south of Perth, I was based at Larkhill Equine Vets with Dr Heather Stewart-Rowe. Heather and her husband, Lincoln, welcomed me into their family home, lent me a car to explore the beautiful beaches and walking trails, and cooked me a proper Australian barbecue. Heather even gave me a riding lesson on her ex-eventer. I also did some work too! Larkhill Vets is a purpose-built equine hospital in Port Kennedy, right next to a racetrack and not far from the beach. This meant I saw lots of racehorses with osteochondrosis and laryngeal dysfunction, as well as plenty of sand colics. I also had the opportunity to spend a day at a farriery school and attend a dissection at Murdoch Veterinary School.

The survey

While based at Larkhill, I piloted the survey I created, which aims to gauge the awareness of Hendra virus amongst horse owners and vets and assess what precautions people take in terms of limiting the risk of disease transmission – for Hendra virus and other diseases too. I also asked questions to explore whether Covid-19 has changed people’s risk perception of emerging disease. My survey pilot revealed some interesting preliminary results; the majority of horse owners in the Perth region do not vaccinate their horses against Hendra, and many people do not fully understand the severity of Hendra virus infection, in horses or people.

What next?

I’m looking forward to gaining more results by distributing the survey across social media groups in Perth (and potentially other regions too) and hope to complete the project later this year. I hope the results from my study will help inform us about the current uptake of biosecurity strategies for Hendra and other diseases, in the interest of veterinary and public health.

I’m very grateful to BVA for awarding me the Harry-Steele Bodger Scholarship; it provided me with the opportunity to spend my summer in Australia, do EMS and explore a topic I’m really interested in. I gained invaluable veterinary experience, met fantastic people and I also learnt to dive and surf along the way!

Find out more about our travel grants

If you are a BVA student member at a UK vet school, or a recent graduate, then you can apply for a BVA travel grant to carry out research projects overseas. 

The Harry Steele-Bodger Memorial Travel Scholarship

The Harry Steele-Bodger Memorial Travel Scholarship was established in September 1953 to honour the memory of Henry W Steele-Bodger, President of the Association from 1939 to 1941, in recognition of his great services to the veterinary profession and agriculture, particularly during World War Two. The scholarship is intended to assist a visit to a veterinary or agricultural school, research institute or some other course of study or project. Applications for research projects that contribute to sustainable development or benefit communities in low and middle income countries are encouraged.

If you are interested in applying, find out more about this and other travel scholarships. The application deadline for this year's Harry Steele-Bodger award is 9 June 2023.