DA: Livestock culled amid Q fever Phl entry

The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced Saturday that all livestock infected with Q fever have been depopulated to prevent potential human infections. The department assured ongoing surveillance and contact tracing in affected areas.

DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa stated during a media conference that the action was prompted by the discovery of Q fever in samples from imported goats from the United States earlier this week.

“When it was confirmed that the goats imported and brought to Marinduque were positive for Q fever, our secretary immediately ordered depopulation and condemnation, even for the quarantine areas in Pampanga,” De Mesa said.

The DA’s efforts included depopulating all goats and cows within a 500-meter radius of the infected sites.

“We finished the depopulation of goats and cows in the surveillance area yesterday or the other day, and contact tracing is continuing,” De Mesa added.

The DA is also working with the Department of Health to monitor the health of people in the affected areas, particularly farm workers.

Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacteria Coxiella burnetii, which primarily infects goats, sheep and cows.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, humans can contract Q fever through contact with infected animals or by inhaling dust contaminated with their feces, urine, milk, or birth products. Symptoms in humans include fever, chills, fatigue and muscle pain.

The Bureau of Animal Industry confirmed the first case of Q fever in the Philippines in goats imported from the US.

The goats arrived on 11 January and were quarantined in Pampanga, where they underwent mandatory testing. Initial positive results were obtained on 6 February, with final confirmatory RT-PCR tests on 19 and 20 June.