Hendra virus kills horse in northern NSW

An unvaccinated horse has died from the Hendra virus at a property on the NSW north coast - the first confirmed case of the disease in the state this year.

The gelding has been buried and the Murwillumbah property placed under quarantine, with three other horses and two dogs being closely monitored for signs of the disease, the NSW Department of Industry says.

NSW Health has also assessed a number of people who had contact with the infected horse.

The disease, which is deadly but extremely rare in humans, is first transmitted to unvaccinated horses via flying foxes.

It then takes serious exposure to the bodily fluids of an infected horse for the virus to make the leap to humans - such as performing autopsies without the proper protective gear.

Four of seven people who have been infected since the disease's discovery in Brisbane in 1994 have died.

There have been no reported cases of human-to-human infections.