New Q fever case study published

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has published a case study for industry on the risks of Q fever at workplaces.

The case study is useful for:

• beef, sheep and goat producers
• livestock transport operators
• saleyard owners and operators
• livestock agents
• meat processors.

Q fever is an infectious and potentially serious disease that can develop suddenly, be quite severe (acute illness) and may also cause long lasting (chronic) illness. It is the most commonly reported disease linked to animal exposure in Australia.

Queensland has the highest rate in the nation, with an average of 222 notifications a year between 2016 and 2020. Q fever can also cause mild to moderate symptoms, so there may be many more cases that are not reported because they are undiagnosed.

Further information

To add to existing guidance, we are asking industry to send in examples of how Q fever risks have been successfully managed. These will be published as further short case studies for others to learn from. Please send these examples to industrystrategy@oir.qld.gov.au.