Hendra virus claims life of Queensland veterinarian

Aug 20 2008

The deadly Hendra virus has claimed the life of yet another victim, this time a human one.

Queensland veterinarian, Dr. Ben Cunneen, in his 30's, has become the latest fatality after being infected with the Hendra virus at work several weeks ago.

The virus struck the Brisbane bayside Veterinary Clinic last month.

Dr. Cunneen, who died yesterday, was the senior equine vet at the Redlands Veterinary Clinic and had been in intensive care for more than a month after becoming the first person to be infected with the virus at the clinic.

It has been reported that he was placed in a medically-induced coma in recent days after his condition deteriorated.

Staff at the clinic are said to be devastated and there is concern for two other vets from the clinic - one has been in hospital with the virus for a number of weeks and is said to be in a stable condition, and another was admitted last week after a needle stick injury.

The accidental injury occurred while the vet was euthanising a racehorse who had recovered from the virus but had to be put down as a precaution - in total six horses infected with the virus either died or were put down.

Dr. Cuneen's death is the first human death from the virus since the mid-1990s, when horse trainer Vic Rail died after contracting the virus from horses, 13 of whom subsequently died and a Mackay farmer died in 1995.

Dr. Cunneen, a University of Sydney graduate, with many years of experience with horses, was married and had been with the clinic for quite some time.