Q-fever found at Gelderland dairy sheep farm; First time since 2016

Q-fever was diagnosed at a dairy sheep farm in the Gelderland town of Brakel, outgoing Minister Piet Adema of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality informed parliament. The public health institute RIVM estimates the risk to public health as low. It is the first Q-fever diagnosis at a dairy goats or -sheep farm in the Netherlands since 2016, NOS reports.

The Q-fever bacteria were found in the company’s bulk milk during a regular check. According to the Minister, the milk likely came from one or more unvaccinated young animals.

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is investigating whether any of the unvaccinated sheep had been taken to other sheep farms and slaughter houses. It is also investigating whether the farmer is following all the applicable health and safety rules, including the mandatory vaccination against Q-fever for his animals.

The farmer involved has indicated that he will send all sheep from the company to the slaughter in the coming period. The farm has 83 adult sheep and 45 lambs.

“I find it very worrying that sheep were not vaccinated despite the mandatory vaccination,” Professor Thijs Kuiken of Erasmus MC in Rotterdam told NOS. “They may be young animals because the bacteria were found in the milk, but they should have been vaccinated.”

He agrees that there is no major risk to public health at this stage. “If the other animals have been vaccinated, there is no danger to the environment,” he said, calling the risk of the bacteria spreading further very small.

The largest recorded Q-fever outbreak in the world happened in the Netherlands between 2007 and 2019. Between 50,000 and 100,000 people became ill and over 100 people died. One in five suffered from Q fever fatigue syndrome - a disease with long-lasting symptoms, similar to Long Covid.