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Hendra, Flying Foxes and Magical Unicorns.

LTE –Hendra, Flying Foxes and Magical Unicorns. (181 words)

Dear Editor,

Do you ever think of the right reply to a question 24 hrs after it was asked, and wished you could have it asked again?

This situation happened to me recently when a reporter asked:

“Even though Flying foxes may test positive for Hendra, shouldn’t they be protected from removal from their roosts or culling because they are native animals?”

I’m afraid that I didn’t answer it very well. In typical long winded politician speak I said something like:

“The Labor Government is deliberately treating this debate as an environmental matter instead of a serious public health matter. They are doing this in order to protect Green voting preferences in the Capital City therefore they’ve failed to do everything ( removal / culling ) in their powers to protect QLD Families from a serious public health threat.

I should have said:

“I don’t care if a herd of magical unicorns have set up camp on the banks of the Burnett River, if they test positive for Hendra, and they are a threat to children’s health, they should be moved or shot..”

Sincerely

Rob Messenger

Independent Member for Burnett

0407904134

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Comment by Rory Donnellan on July 30, 2011 at 1:25pm: Let's not forget that Greenie extremists are committed to greatly reducing the human population. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them wanted to have Hendra virus declared a protected species.

Comment by Rob Messenger on July 26, 2011 at 8:16pm: LTE – Hendra – Test and Destroy 26.7.11

Dear Editor,

I’ve now changed my policy regarding the management of flying foxes infected with deadly diseases.

Previously, you will remember that I have advocated many times, over a number of years, for a policy of treating the Hendra/flying fox crisis as a serious public health matter, not as an environmental issue.

The solution I put forward was, to test, move on or destroy. With the news that a dog has now tested positive to Hendra and the chief medical officer of QLD doesn’t know whether a dog can pass the virus directly to humans, I’ve changed my policy to test and destroy.

This very serious public health matter has just become critical and any flying fox testing positive to Hendra or other similar deadly diseases must be destroyed.

The mortality rate of Hendra in humans from the official stats. released by QLD Health, is greater than 50% (4 out of 7), however I’ve cautioned before about not trusting the information and statistics supplied by QLD Health, because they have an undeniable history of incompetence, dysfunction and deceit.

Among the long list of questions and guarantees that QLD Health officers and politicians can’t answer or give, is this important question :

How many people have died over the years with Hendra-like symptoms and have never been officially acknowledged as Hendra victims?

Politicians must address this serious public health crisis asking, ”What is the worst-case public scenario and how do I stop it now?” The precautionary principal must apply. People’s health must always come before animal’s health. Time to destroy the infected bats.

Sincerely

Rob Messenger

Independent member for Burnett

0407904134

Comment by Rob Messenger on July 24, 2011 at 11:18pm: I think it would be helpful right now if Campbell Newman came out and stated that as the alternative Premier he would immediatley fund testing of Flying Colonies and those that tested positive for Hendra near populated areas should be destroyed.

We're dealing with a deadly disease that in humans has a mortality rate of greater than 50%.

He could also allow an exemption from the over the top environmental rules, for all property and land owners who were victims of flying foxes setting up roost on their land or in their back yard. Nobody should face a maximum fine of $100,000 or a year in jail if you scare a flying fox out of its roost in your back yard.

The maximum fine in QLD for hiring a child escort ie under 18 (if you are an escort agency owner) is only $10,000! Compare that with killing a flying fox - $300,000 and a 2 year jail sentence! What does that say about this governments values? What does Anna care more about Flying Foxes or children's safety?

Comment by Rob Messenger on July 24, 2011 at 9:39pm

Dale, thanks for that info. This is officially the biggest out break of Hendra. Although I often wonder, given the QLD Government's unique ability to lie and cover up, just how many cases of Hendra over the years went unreported.

Comment by Rob Messenger on July 23, 2011 at 4:05am: Laurel, I'm keen to know which School that is? The problem we have with Hendra is that there is no politician or medical expert who is willing to give 100% guarantee that it can't be transferred from a bat to human.

And when you think seriously about the diseases that can be transferred from a bat to human, you have to consider that if you are bitten or scratched by a bat, then the routine first aid response you will receive on presentation to any Emergency Department is a course (over about a month) of Rabies like injections. They are given to stop Lissa virus.

With so much not known about the deadly diseases bats carry and spread, the precautionary public Health principal must apply. The first step in putting that into action is to test all bat colonies near humans for deadly diseases, including Hendra.

Any public servant or politician who does not put public health before "environmental concerns" is a criminal and should be charged under the criminal code. If there is a snake or a croc in your back yard you are allowed to remove it, why not the same action for a flying fox?

Comment by Laurel Ender on July 23, 2011 at 2:50am: well said! I have been frankly stunned that they refused to remove flying foxes from a SCHOOL lunch shed. seems the kids are worth less than out of place bats.

Comment by Elizabeth Gearey on July 22, 2011 at 7:01pm: Can anyone please tell me -- why is the only sequence (that we know of) Flying Fox to horse to human? No other animals seem to be involved & it is very confusing!

Elizabeth Gearey

Comment by Elizebeth Flower on July 21, 2011 at 11:35am: Thanks for being a politician with the courage to speak out on this issue, Rob, especially with the escalating incidence of the Hendra virus in horses during the past month.

It is one more example of the welfare of animals being regarded as more important than that of humans (and those animals important to humans), and the disproportionate power of the animals rights lobby.

Great suggestion Jeff T about setting up a windfarm! only for the fact as you realise that it would be out of the frying pan into the fire!

Comment by Dixie Nott on July 21, 2011 at 7:39am: The TV footage showing the camp in Gayndah looked like "Little Red" flying foxes and could be the same group, they are nomadic, who rest on land we own just north of Rockhampton from Sept til Dec every year. On our land they roost in a remnant softwood stand and I would have thought they needed similar dense canopy species but the trees at Gayndah appeared to be sparse, typical, eucalypt species. Such a stand could be found in thousands of ha, far from humans regardless of the off quoted " habitat destruction " reason for their presence or state of being. Commonsense must prevail soon even in vote seeking politicians. If not lets do a research project and identify flying fox attractants and make sure they roost next to Anna and her green mates.

Comment by Rob Moore on July 18, 2011 at 6:57pm: Hello Rob,

Given the number of horse deaths now this wouldn't be an over -reaction if they were nesting near horses or Residences