Q fever warning ahead of spring spike

Q fever is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Coxiella burnetii and is transmitted to humans from indirect or direct contact with animals, predominantly in regional areas.

There have been 18 cases of Q fever reported to SA Health this year to date. There were 23 cases reported in 2024, and 21 cases in 2023.

The main sources of infection are sheep, cattle and goats, although less common sources include kangaroos, bandicoots, camels, dogs and cats.

Occupations that have notified of Q fever cases include:

• stock crate drivers and livestock transport companies
• station hands and farm workers
• shearers and wool classers
• meat workers.

Workers can become infected with Q fever by coming into contact with contaminated:

• Animal products (milk, wool, hides, fur, urine, faeces and birthing products)
• Animal environments (soil, bedding, straw, hay and grass)
• Machinery, equipment or clothing.

Exposure to Q fever can occur through:

• Inhalation of contaminated dust or aerosols
• Exposure of broken skin to animal products or contaminated material, or penetrating injury through the skin with contaminated material
• Ingestion – consuming unpasteurised milk from an infected animal might be a risk for infection

Health effects

In South Australia, Q fever is a notifiable condition, requiring doctors and laboratories to report infections to SA Health.

About half of all people infected with Q fever have an illness soon after infection, which is usually a flu-like illness, but other illnesses, such as pneumonia, or inflammation in the liver, can occur.  This is known as acute Q fever. A syndrome of prolonged fatigue can sometimes occur after acute Q fever. A small percentage of people infected with Q fever can develop a chronic infection that may take months to years to show itself and requires treatment including antibiotics.

For more information on the health effects of a Q fever infection, visit the SA Health Q fever webpage(external site).

Ways to reduce Q fever exposure

General controls to reduce the likelihood of workers contracting Q fever include:

• vaccinating workers before they commence work in higher risk areas
• prevent unvaccinated workers from entering high-risk areas
• use dust suppression systems such as sprinklers to water yard surfaces before work
• keep cattle and sheep away from domestic living areas
• install appropriate ventilation systems
• practice good personal hygiene such as washing hands and covering wounds
• sterilisation of tools
• provide appropriate washing and changing facilities
• wear an appropriately fitted mask (P2/N95 masks can filter out very fine particles from the air when worn correctly)
• wear safety glasses.

Managing Q fever risks

Perform a site assessment:

• identify tasks, rooms, and yards within the workplace where there is a risk of contracting Q fever, as well as other workplaces workers are required to travel to
• assess the risk by performing risk assessments for each high-risk area (considering sources of exposure and how to mitigate exposure to contaminated substances)

• is it a dusty environment?
• is there adequate ventilation?
• is PPE required?

• control the risk by implementing controls in accordance with the hierarchy of controls