Table 3 Topics areas and related subtopics that emerged from analysis of the round one questionnaire

1

Risk prevention, mitigation, and biosecurity

 Knowledge of practices to reduce risk of Hendra virus transmission to horses and humans

 Implementation of practices to reduce risk of Hendra virus in horses and humans

 Property and vegetation management as it relates to premise biosecurity

 Enablers and barriers to uptake of recommended behaviours/practices

2

Personal health and safety

 Knowledge of personal risk reduction practices

 Utilization of personal risk reduction practices

 Personal hygiene practices

 Personal protective equipment (PPE) knowledge, availability and use

 Enablers and barriers to utilization of personal health and safety practices

 Measures of risk-related behaviours (close contact with horses, handling of bodily fluids, etc.)

 Concerns about risk to self from other animals (e.g. dogs, wildlife)

3

Hendra virus-related risk awareness and perception

 Vulnerability to Hendra virus (horse(s), self, other people)

 Likelihood of being impacted (horse(s), self, other people)

 Beliefs underlying perceived level of risk

 Fear and concern (horse(s), self, other people)

 Awareness of local risk

 Attitudes towards Hendra virus in the context of other diseases/disease risks

 Perceived risk of Hendra virus relative to other infectious diseases and health threats

4

Hendra virus vaccination in horses – process and implementation

 Process of roll-out, including how best to enable uptake

 Priority horse subpopulations for vaccination

 Persons responsible for administering the vaccine

 Perceived need for compulsory vaccination among horse subpopulations

 Perceived role for government in vaccination

5

Hendra virus vaccination in horses – attitudes and uptake

 Willingness to vaccinate and/or vaccinate regularly

 Anticipated uptake

 Barriers to uptake

 Attitudes toward vaccination including perceived effectiveness and concerns about adverse effects

6

Awareness and knowledge of Hendra virus

 Transmission routes

 Signs and symptoms

 Time between infection and clinical onset of disease

 Time between infection and infectiousness

 Locations and details of previous outbreaks

 Environmental conditions that impact transmission

7

Bats/Flying foxes – attitudes and awareness

 Attitudes to bats/flying foxes

 Attitudes to control of bats/flying foxes

 Awareness of local activity

 Opportunities for interaction with horses

 Protecting horses from bat/flying fox exposure

 Knowledge of the role of bats, bat ecology, and bat feeding and roosting behaviours

8

Communication, information, and education

 Verbal communication with veterinarian(s)/government agencies

 Sources of advice

 Perceived success of government communication

 Role of media

 Desired forms of communication/sources of information

9

Hendra virus surveillance and reporting

 Likelihood of early consideration of Hendra virus

 Response to a sick horse

 Severity of illness in horse(s) before a veterinarian is contacted

 When to notify authorities of a sick horse

 Awareness of reporting responsibilities

 Knowledge of reporting pathways

 Enablers and barriers to reporting of suspect cases

 Concerns about reporting

10

Emergency preparedness

 Expectations and preferences in relation to event management

 Record keeping

 Attitudes toward registration of movements and movement controls

 Recording of horse health status and vaccination history

 Attitudes around horse and horse owner identification

11

Horse health awareness

 Frequency of horse observations

 Monitoring for signs of disease

12

Hendra virus response

 Knowledge of the government response plan

 Expectations of time to diagnosis

 Knowledge of testing and quarantine procedures

 Attitudes to recovered horses

 Knowledge and attitudes toward the issue of Hendra virus recrudescence (i.e. reoccurrence of clinical disease in a previously affected animal or person)

 Knowledge of available support

 Attitudes to government response to cases

 Need for a human vaccine

13

Relationship with veterinarian(s)

 Frequency of consultations and communications

 Health services routinely provided by veterinarians

 Trust in veterinarian(s)

 Health of relationship with veterinarian(s)

14

Responsibility

 Attitudes around who is responsible for Hendra virus risk mitigation and response

 Beliefs concerning who should pay the Hendra virus-related costs

15

Sense of control/effectiveness

 Perceived effectiveness of recommended health and safety and biosecurity practices

 Sense of control over ability to reduce personal risk and risk to other people and animals

16

Information seeking

 Primary source of information

 Preferred sources of information

 Trusted sources of information

 Membership in horse associations

 Access to and use of newsletters/e-alerts/subscriptions

 Use of social media

 Use of social networks/informal word-of-mouth/knowledge sharing

 Attendance at workshops/training

17

Trust

 Trust in government agencies to communicate and respond

 Trust in the research and science informing the Hendra virus response

 Trust in others to report and take the appropriate actions

18

Horse behaviour

 Knowledge and awareness of the behaviour of their horse(s)

 Interactions with wildlife/other domestic species (possums, feral cats, livestock, companion animals)

 Interactions with other horses