A recent report confirmed a new case of Hendra virus in central Queensland, thereby confirming the presence of Hendra virus there. It was on Tuesday that a property manager near Mackay came in touch with Queensland Chief Veterinary Officer Rick Symons about the condition of the horse, who was euthanized after it was confirmed from samples that the horse had the disease.

"Tracing is a priority to determine what contact the infected horse had with other animals on all properties”, said Rick Symons. "There are a number of other animals including horses on the property and on adjoining properties”.

It was also told that one person though got in touch with the horse, the risk was too low to be alarmed. It is known that the disease can prove out to be lethal for humans but for that to happen, close contact with the infected horse has to be strong enough. If previous reports are to be referred to, this case is not the first one as there have been three cases. Including one in Townsville in January and two in May, and one in Rockhampton, reported in Queensland this year. There is need for people to be aware about the disease so that such cases are being averted in the first place.