DHS supports research into Aussie horse and bat disease – Homeland Security Newswire

Hendra virus infects horses and bats – but the fatality rate among human beings coming into contact with the animals is high because there is no cure for it; the virus and its relative, the Nipah virus, are so lethal that the United States consider them a homeland security threat; there is fear that terrorists may infect bats and then release them near population centers.

Overseas researchers were investing in Hendra virus research, despite it occurring only in Australia, because of fears it may be used in biological warfare. A Queensland Horse Council Hendra virus conference attended by horse owners and bat carers in Cleveland, on Brisbane’s bayside, heard from Dr. Peter Reid the other day.