Scientists launch vaccine against Hendra

AUSTRALIANS will be able to vaccinate their horses against the deadly Hendra virus for the first time and stop it from spreading to people.

A horse vaccine is now commercially available, in a major breakthrough in the fight against the bat-borne virus, which jumps from horses to humans.

Horses are believed to contract the virus from feed contaminated by flying foxes' urine, saliva or birthing fluids.

There's no known cure for Hendra, but the Equivac HeV vaccine breaks the cycle of transmission and will prevent human deaths, scientists say.

The project leader is the CSIRO's veterinary pathologist Deborah Middleton, who says the vaccine is the result of extensive research conducted over the past 18 years since the virus was first detected.

"For the first time, we have a specific control measure against a terrible virus which can make a healthy horse or healthy human mortality ill within 48 hours," Dr Middleton told AAP.

"Because so far all human infections have resulted from sick or dead horses, this will break that cycle of transmission."

Dr Middleton said that while Hendra was not easily transmitted, its mortality rate of 75 per cent in horses and 70 per cent in humans, ranking it with the ebola virus as the world's most severe biosecurity threats.

Four out of seven infected people have died from the virus, all in Queensland, since it was identified in 1994.

Batches of the vaccine are to be rolled out from Thursday.

Priority will be given to Queensland and northern NSW, considered high-risk areas because of previous Hendra outbreaks.

Horses will be given a shot followed by a booster within three weeks.

"Vaccinated horses that encounter live Hendra virus will have a very rapid immune memory response which will kill the virus before it has a chance to infect the animal," Dr Middleton said.

What scientists are not clear about is how long the vaccine lasts before a horse will need another booster shot.

Dr Middleton said further research was being conducted in that area.

Another unknown is if the vaccine will be effective on a horse that's unknowingly incubating the virus.

"You would have to be very unlucky for this to happen," she said.

"I do recommend all horses be vaccinated as soon as it becomes available."

Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) president Ben Gardiner is also urging horse owners across Australia to have their animals inoculated.

"This vaccine significantly decreases the risk of exposure to Hendra for horse owners, handlers and vets," Dr Gardiner told AAP.

"Horses travel over great distances for events and it would be wise for all horse owners to have their horses vaccinated."

Dr Gardiner said the virus was tricky to detect because symptoms were varied and could be mistaken for anything from mild colic to influenza.

The vaccine did not mean horse owners relax their guard and stop preventative measures, he said.

The AVA is still recommending that water and feed troughs be moved away from flying-fox roosts and that protective gear be worn, including overalls, goggles and masks, when handling sick horses.

Australia's largest animal health company, Pfizer Animal Health, will oversee the training and accreditation of vets working with the vaccine.

Vets will be required to record details of horses vaccinated for a national register to be managed and distributed by Pfizer.

Pfizer, CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong and US organisations, the Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences (USU), and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation were the major players in developing the vaccine.

The vaccine has been released a year earlier than originally expected after a boost from commonwealth and state funding.

The virus was discovered after an outbreak of a mystery illness in a large racing stable in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra in 1994.

It resulted in the death of horse trainer Vic Rail and deaths of dozens of horses.

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