A Thoroughbred veterinarian infected by the killer Hendra virus was admitted to a hospital in Queensland Aug. 27. The vet contracted the virus after performing an autopsy on a Thoroughbred in his clinic last week.

There are reportedly two known current cases of Hendra in the Thoroughbred population in Queensland.

While believed unrelated to the EI currently sweeping Australia, an outbreak of Hendra has even greater personal ramifications for humans. Whereas EI cannot kill humans, Hendra can and has. Trainer Vic Rail was killed by Hendra in 1991.

In June 2006, the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) urged horse owners in southeast Queensland to keep feed and water under cover and to stable horses overnight where possible, following the identification of Hendra virus in a horse on the Sunshine Coast