Because of the high risk that other horses would also be infected, health authorities quarantined on Tuesday a property in Lowood, Brisbane Valley, Queensland, after a horse died of the Hendra virus. The virus is a bat-borne disease.

Biosecurity Queensland, which quarantined the property after the horse became sick over the weekend, confirmed the cause of the six-year-old female animal's death is the Hendra virus.

Four people had some contact with the same horse, but are not at risk of having contracted the virus even if four of seven people who were infected by the ailment died. The agency is testing other horses that may have come in contact with the infected animal at the property.

It is the third separate incident of a Hendra virus hit in Queensland for 2013.

The quarantined property, which has 20 other horses, is located 66 kilometres west of Brisbane.

Dr Jim Thompson, chief biosecurity officer, said testing regimes and quarantine programmes on the site would last for about 30 days. He urged horse owners to have their animals injected with a newly released vaccine against the virus.

The vaccine is the result of a major Hendra research made that led to the fast-track production of the vaccine, now on the market.

Besides giving horses the vaccine, Mr Thompson advised horse owners not to feed the animals under trees or take waters out from under trees to protect them from the Hendra virus.

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