Q fever outbreak puts Australia on alert

By Oscar Rousseau

- Last updated on GMT

Q Fever can be transmitted to people via contact with cattle, sheep and goats
Q Fever can be transmitted to people via contact with cattle, sheep and goats

Related tags Infection Beef Livestock Pork

An outbreak of Q fever at a meat-processing plant in Melbourne, Australia has put regional health officials on high alert.

Five employees at boxed-beef and pork company Vic Wide Meat Brokers have contracted the bacterial infection, which livestock can pass on to humans. This scare has sparked an investigation by Victoria’s department of health and human services (DHHS), in conjunction with WorkSafe, a government agency responsible for reducing workplace injuries.

Four of those infected contracted the disease before July 2016, while the fifth was diagnosed in December 2015.

Officials from both the DHHS and WorkSafe have visited the factory, which is situated in a western district of Melbourne, to ascertain whether other staff may have become infected. Vaccinations would be arranged if required, the department said.

The signs of Q fever

Fever, usually followed by an unrelenting headache, fatigue, muscle aches and intense sweats lasting for up to three weeks. A minority of infected people suffer from longer-lasting weakness and fatigue that can persist for several months. In rare cases, the disease can also be asymptomatic – that is, not showing any symptoms. 

No public heath worry

At this stage there is no broader public health issue, as our investigation shows all exposures have been confined to the site and have occurred in the workplace,​” said Victoria’s chief health officer, Professor Charles Guest in a statement.

The practices which may have contributed to causing illness in staff at the premises have been discontinued.

As a further precaution, the department is also writing to contractors who may have visited the site since late last year to provide them with advice about the signs and symptoms of Q fever.​”

Q fever tends to be transmitted by contact with cattle, sheep and goats, although other animals carry the virus too, and is a significant risk for abattoir and farm workers who handle livestock​.

Vic Wide Meat Brokers could not be reached for comment.

Q fever, otherwise known as query fever, is a bacterial infection caused by the bacteria Coxiella bernetii​. Humans often contract the fever when they breathe in dust contaminated by infected animals.

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