By Luke Voogt
A planned Lara goat farm poses a “serious” risk of a Q fever outbreak among residents, Geelong scientists have warned.
The director of Barwon Health’s infectious diseases department, Eugene Athan, said the chronic version of the disease had a five to 10 per cent mortality rate.
“The risks are small if the goat herd is free of infection, but still serious.“
But the disease was easily treatable with oral antibiotics, Prof Athan said.
Prof Athan added the concerns of the No Nuchev Campaign, who have gathered more than 2400 signatures against the proposal, were “only legitimate” if the herd was contaminated.
Geelong microbiologist John Stenos said a “freak incident” could cause an outbreak in Lara.
“If it gets introduced it may be a problem,” Prof Stenos said.
“The chances of the population around the farm acquiring the infection are quite small. If you’re more than two kilometres away the chances are very small.
“You’re more likely to get it from the natural environment.”
Prof Stenos worked at a goat farm in Meredith to help contain a Q fever outbreak in 2015.
“There were plenty of people who worked at the farm who contracted the disease but the spread to the general population was non-existent, to my knowledge.”
Prof Stenos has previously worked with Nuchev, the company behind the planned farm in Lara.
The company had never developed an animal vaccine because its goats had never contracted the disease – a prerequisite for developing a vaccine for a specific herd, Prof Stenos explained.
“They are monitoring the herd very closely,” he said.
“If it’s not monitored it can become a huge risk but I think they’re one of the few places I’ve worked with that have put in precautions before it appears.
“If they’re sensible and have the right measures in place it shouldn’t happen.”
Q fever causes flu-like symptoms in humans and in rare cases can cause heart and liver problems.
“Having said that a small percentage can get chronic Q fever which is a bit harder to clear but it’s curable – it’s not a death sentence,“ Prof Stenos said.
Prof Stenos suggested Nuchev could fund human vaccinations for Lara residents as a gesture of goodwill.
Last week at City Hall Lara mother Leanne Rupene cried as she shared her fear that Q fever could be fatal to her one-year-old child, who has a heart condition.
Prof Stenos’ colleague at the Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Stephen Graves, said people with existing health conditions had a higher chance of getting chronic Q fever.
“She has reason to be concerned – but that is true for most bacterial infections.”
The Federal Department of Health recommends against vaccinating children under 15 against Q fever because there is no safety data on the vaccine for that age group.
“When the (human) vaccine was developed 30 years ago it was never tested on children (as it) was intended for farm workers,” Prof Graves said.
“I’ve vaccinated plenty of children (against Q fever) – from my limited experience it seems perfectly safe to use.”
