Second death from new Hendra virus strain confirmed in horse near Newcastle

A new strain of the deadly Hendra virus has killed a horse in the New South Wales Hunter region.

The Department of Primary Industries confirmed the virus was detected in a seven-year-old unvaccinated Clydesdale from West Wallsend.

A private vet diagnosed the case on Tuesday and it was confirmed at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness yesterday.

The horse was euthanased and no other horses on the property showed signs of ill health, the DPI said.

"DPI has routinely tested all Hendra submissions over the past six months for the variant Hendra strain following a retrospective detection by researchers in a Queensland horse," it said.

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Article written by: Giselle Wakatama, Amelia Bernasconi, and Bridget Murphy