Hendra

Hendra is a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Located northeast of the city center and along the Brisbane River, it is part of the urban area of the City of Brisbane. The name Hendra is closely associated with the area’s early 1990s development and has become notable beyond local geography because of a disease outbreak linked to the place.

The name is also associated with the Hendra virus (HeV), a zoonotic virus identified in 1994 after an outbreak at a horse facility in Hendra. It is an RNA virus in the genus Henipavirus, within the family Paramyxoviridae. The outbreak began when several horses died and a trainer succumbed to illness, leading to the identification of the virus and its naming after the suburb.

Hendra virus is carried by fruit bats, particularly flying foxes of the genus Pteropus. Transmission from bats to horses is believed to occur through contact with bat excretions or contaminated materials. Infected horses can then transmit the virus to humans through close contact with respiratory or other secretions, typically in veterinary or caregiving settings. In humans, the illness can present with fever, respiratory symptoms, and potential neurological complications, and the disease has a high case fatality rate. Human-to-human transmission has not been the primary driver of outbreaks, which have been relatively limited in number.

Control measures include vaccination of horses with an equine vaccine (Equivac HeV), first licensed in 2012, along with heightened biosecurity and protective equipment for handlers and veterinarians. The Hendra outbreak history has informed ongoing surveillance and response strategies to manage spillover risk from bats to horses and humans.