Hendra virus is a virus that mainly infects large fruit bats (flying foxes) which can be passed on to horses. The infection has occasionally been ...SkiptocontentAtoZOpendataContactusFeedbackCOVID-19-EasyReadNSWGovCOVID-19EmergencyinformationPrintPageIncreaseFontSizeDecreaseFontSizeFactsheetHomeInfectiousdiseasesFactsheetsHendravirusfactsheetFactsheetsCurrentlyselectedControlguidelinesHendravirusfactsheetHendravirusisavirusthatmainlyinfectslargefruitbats(flyingfoxes)whichcanbepassedontohorses.Theinfectionhasoccasionallybeenpassedontopeoplewhohavebeeninclosecontactwithaninfectedhorse.Lastupdated:08April2020Content1WhatisHendravirus?Hendravirusisavirusthatinfectslargefruitbats(flyingfoxes).Occasionallytheviruscanspreadfromflyingfoxestohorsesandhorsescanthenpasstheinfectionontohumans.AsmallnumberofpeoplewhohadveryclosecontactwithinfectedhorseshavedevelopedHendravirusinfection.HendravirusinfectionhasbeenconfirmedintwodogsonpropertieswherehorseshadbeeninfectedwiththeHendravirus.Neitherdogwasshowingsignsofillness.ThereisnoevidenceofHendravirusoccurringnaturallyinanyotherspecies.HendraviruswasdiscoveredfollowinganoutbreakofillnessinalargeracingstableinthesuburbofHendra,Brisbanein1994.Whatarethesymptoms?HendravirussymptomsinhorsesHendraviruscancausearangeofsymptomsinhorses.Usuallythereisarapidonsetofillness,fever,increasedheartrateandrapiddeteriorationwithrespiratoryand/orneurological(nervoussystem)signs.FormoreinformationonHendravirusinfectioninhorses, refertotheNSWDepartmentofPrimaryIndustries(DPI).HendravirussymptomsinpeopleSymptomstypicallydevelopbetween5and21daysaftercontactwithaninfectioushorse.Fever,cough,sorethroat,headacheandtirednessarecommoninitialsymptoms.Meningitisorencephalitis(inflammationofthebrain)candevelop,causingheadache,highfever,anddrowsiness,andsometimesconvulsionsandcoma.Hendravirusinfectioncanbefatal.Howisitspread?ItisthoughtthathorsesmaycontractHendravirusinfectionfromeatingfoodrecentlycontaminatedbyflyingfoxurine,salivaorbirthproducts.ThespreadofH