A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
Date: Thu 14 Jul 2011
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald [edited]
Bat colonies should be moved from urban centres and farms, but not
killed, to prevent further outbreaks of the Hendra virus, a north
Queensland MP says. Veterinarians and horse breeders in far north
Queensland are concerned the region's large flying fox population
could result in a spread of the deadly virus, following an outbreak at
a property west of Cairns this week [11-14 Jul 2011]. A pony named
Cheeky died from the virus at the Blazing Saddles trail-riding
property near Kuranda earlier this week. So far, 9 horses have been
killed or put down since 20 Jun [2011] as a result of the virus
following outbreaks in Queensland and New South Wales (NSW).
Independent MP Bob Katter on Wednesday [13 Jul 2011] called for bats
who nested in urban areas to be shot or moved on to prevent further
outbreaks, a position rejected by Biosecurity Queensland.
Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch labelled calls to shoot the bats a
"knee-jerk reaction" but said authorities should use non-lethal means
to force bats to relocate from farms and urban areas. "The bats play a
very important role in our ecology, if we exterminated them
pollination in our native forests would just crash. "But we need to be
looking at ways of managing this." He said authorities could use
noise, such as the sound of gunshots, to disrupt bat colonies as they
slept during the day. "There are non-lethal ways that bats can be
encouraged to leave the area and go back to live in forests where they
belong," he said. However, he said the population of bats had grown
dramatically in north Queensland due to the availability of food
sources such as commercial crops and authorities should consider
efforts to reduce numbers through management programs.
Meanwhile, Blazing Saddles owner Michael Trout has said all staff
working at the property would be tested for the virus as a precaution.
"Just for absolute safety's sake, all staff will be tested at one
o'clock today and their results will be back tomorrow so there is 100
per cent clarity there," he told ABC Radio in Cairns. 4 staff and 2
visitors who had contact with Cheeky as well as all 36 horses
remaining on the property have already been tested.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
[Biosecurity Queensland
NSW government
listed a number of precautions to avoid exposure of horses and people
to Hendra virus. Neither source mentions elimination or moving the
bats (see ProMED-mail archive no. 20110713.2110). Dispersal brings
with it the risk of spreading the virus to other locations.
These bats are highly mobile, and there is no assurance that they
will not return to their location of capture on release, since there
are food sources and good roosting places there. Or other flying foxes
may move into the vacated habitats. The logistics and cost of attempts
to eliminate the bat populations or move them to other locations would
be considerable and most likely unsuccessful.
A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map showing the location of
Queensland can be accessed at
A map showing the locations of the outbreaks can be seen at
[see also:
Hendra virus, equine - Australia (12): (QL,NS) 20110715.2137
Hendra virus, equine - Australia (11): (QL,NS) human exposure
20110714.2125
Hendra virus, equine - Australia (10): (QL,NS) human exposure
20110713.2110
Hendra virus, equine - Australia (09): (QL,NS) human exposure
20110712.2098
Hendra virus, equine - Australia (08): (QL,NS) 20110710.2084
Hendra virus, equine - Australia (07): (QL,NS) 20110706.2045
Hendra virus, equine - Australia (06): (QL,NS) human exposure
20110705.2036
Hendra virus, equine - Australia (05): (NSW) human exposure
20110702.2012
Hendra virus, equine - Australia (04): (QL) 20110701.1997
Hendra virus, equine - Australia (03): (QL) human exposure
20110630.1989
Hendra virus, equine - Australia (02): (QL) 20110629.1984
Hendra virus, equine - Australia: vaccine 20110525.1589]
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