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Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:32 PM PDT

SYDNEY - An Australian veterinary surgery was placed under lockdown on Saturday following two fresh outbreaks of the Hendra virus that can be fatal if contracted by humans.

Two horses were put down after showing signs of the bat-borne virus in separate cases in Brisbane and in Hervey Bay, 300 kilometres (186 miles) north of the city, which is home to two million people.

Hendra is carried by fruit bats (flying foxes) and spread to horses through half-chewed fruit or water and food contaminated by their urine and droppings.

Tests were yet to confirm the Brisbane case but chief Queensland vet Rick Symons said it was "likely that it does have the Hendra virus."

Ten horses have now died in a month-long epidemic — the biggest since Hendra was discovered in 1994 — which has swept from the country's far north to within 500 kilometres of Sydney.

No humans have yet been infected but at least 59 people have been exposed to the virus. Four of the seven people to ever contract Hendra have died.

Symons said the scale of the outbreak was unusual, with a five-fold increase in the number of samples sent for testing from suspected cases.

"It could be because of a heightened awareness of Hendra virus," said Symons.

"There is clearly a heightened awareness among vets and horse owners about the possibility of Hendra virus infection when a horse becomes sick." The vets' surgery in Hervey Bay was sealed off after tests confirmed it was Hendra.

The other case, in the Brisbane suburb of Boondall, is 10 kilomtres from the city's thoroughbred racing precinct and follows a scare at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse earlier this week.

Parts of Randwick have been sealed off to keep horses clear from trees frequented by fruit bats and more than 100 racetracks across the country are being inspected for infection risks.

Racing Queensland spokesman Jamie Orchard said officials were on alert and urging trainers to take precautions such as covering feed and water and keeping horses indoors at dawn and dusk — peak feeding times for the bats.

But Orchard stressed that racehorses were at relatively low risk of contracting Hendra because they were kept and fed indoors.

"The risk of a racehorse that is currently training or going to the races contracting Henda is very slim," he told AFP. - AFP

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Special teams to probe claims by doctors at Tung Shin Hospital

Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:29 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR - Police have set up two special teams to investigate claims by 11 doctors at Tung Shin Hospital that tear gas was fired into the hospital compound during the July 9 illegal rally.

Kuala Lumpur CID chief Datuk Ku Chin Wah said one special team will investigate claims by the doctors while another team will investigate the whole incident.

"We (police) will investigate what happened including taking statements from doctors, witnesses and personnel (police) present at that time," he said after attending a family day function for Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent in Kepong near here today.

Tung Shin Hospital Board said on Monday that tear gas was not fired into the hospital compound but several news portals reported that 11 doctors claimed otherwise.

Ku said police will also monitor the movement of Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) including the call by president Datuk S. Ambiga that supporters wear yellow t-shirts on Saturdays. - BERNAMA

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Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Jumaat, 15 Julai 2011

NST Online: Latest

NST Online: Latest

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