The Malaysian government has imposed a temporary ban on the import of Australian horses after reports of an outbreak of the Hendra virus, a deadly virus in Australia.
The move is a precautionary one and came upon the advice of the Department of Veterinary Services following an outbreak of Hendra virus on July 8.
According to Datuk Dr Ibrahim Che’ Embong, the deputy director-general of DVS, there are no cases of the virus reported in Malaysia at the moment, but these measures are necessary and the ban will be lifted once the green light is received from the AQIS (Australian Quarantine And Inspection Service).