What Q fever is
Q fever is a highly contagious bacterial disease. It is spread by infected animals and contaminated dust.
Many people don’t get any symptoms, but some people develop serious complications and longer-term effects.
Why it matters to public health
Although most cases are mild, Q fever can be serious. It can cause long-term health problems.
Q fever fatigue syndrome can affect people’s quality of life and ability to do their day-to-day activities.
Chronic Q fever can make people unwell for months or years, and requires long-term medical support.
Infection during pregnancy can have serious consequences for the fetus.
The risk of Q fever is higher in people who work with animals, including in farming, veterinary work and meat processing. Outbreaks in these settings can have major impacts.
Because of this, we:
- monitor and report on Q fever cases in people in Australia
- work with colleagues in the animal and environmental sectors to ensure a One Health approach
- plan for how to manage major outbreaks.
Symptoms
At least half of the people who get Q fever don’t have any symptoms.
Common symptoms include:
- fever
- sweats
- headache
- fatigue
- muscle pain
- dry cough.
Most people recover within a few weeks, but serious complications can include:
- pneumonia
- inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis)
- liver disease
- central nervous system complications.
Some people develop Q fever fatigue syndrome, which causes long-term, persistent fatigue.
A small proportion of infected people develop chronic Q fever, which can be serious.
Infection during pregnancy can lead to:
- miscarriage
- stillbirth
- premature birth
- low birth weight.
Read more about the diagnosis and treatment of Q fever.
healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a health professional.
Onset of symptoms
Symptoms usually start between 1 and 3 weeks after getting infected.
How it spreads
Animals shed the bacteria into the environment through their body fluids, including their:
- birthing materials
- milk
- faeces
- urine.
People can become infected:
- by breathing in contaminated dust or aerosols
- through contact with an infected animal or its body fluids
- through contact with items or materials that have been contaminated with fluids from an infected animal.
The bacterium can survive for a long time in the environment. It can also spread over long distances, so people can be infected even when they haven’t been around animals.
Ticks spread the bacterium in animals but human infections from ticks are rare.
Infectious period
Q fever does not normally transmit from person to person.
Prevention
Vaccination
Q fever is vaccine preventable. Vaccination is recommended for people aged 15 years and older who are at greater risk of exposure through their job or other activities.
Before you receive a vaccination, your healthcare professional will organise a blood test and skin test. This is to check immunity to Q fever – the vaccine can’t be given to people who have already been vaccinated or had Q fever.
Eligible people can get Q fever vaccines for free under some state or territory programs. If you are not eligible for a free vaccine, you can buy one from your healthcare professional or pharmacy.
Other prevention steps
Apart from vaccination, the best way to protect against Q fever is to:
- wash your hands after contact with animals or materials contaminated with animal fluids
- wear a properly fitted P2 or N95 face mask and gloves when interacting with livestock or wildlife, or when mowing or gardening where livestock or wildlife might have been
- bag clothing, boots or other items contaminated with animal fluids or faeces and wash them separately to other items, and avoid these being handled by anybody who hasn’t received a Q fever vaccination or had Q fever
- keep wounds covered with a waterproof dressing in areas with animals
- not drink unpasteurised milk.
If you work around animals:
- leave clothing or equipment that might be contaminated with animal fluids or faeces at work, if you can
- follow the work health and safety advice of your employer.
Read more about preventing Q fever.
High-risk groups and settings
Some people are at greater risk of getting Q fever or of getting very sick from it.
Q fever can spread among animals in agricultural settings including:
- livestock
- meat processing facilities
- animal care settings.
People at greater risk of severe disease
You are at greater risk of chronic Q fever if you:
- are immunocompromised
- have a history of valvular heart disease, arterial aneurysm or vascular graft
- are infected during pregnancy.
Read more about measures you can take to protect yourself.
People at greater risk of exposure
You are at greater risk of exposure if you have contact with:
- animals that can carry the bacterium – especially cows, sheep, goats, camels and kangaroos
- animal materials – including raw wool, meat, hides or birthing materials
- animal fluids – including milk, faeces, urine, blood or birthing fluid
- items contaminated with animal fluids – such as clothing, boots or equipment.
You are also at greater risk if you breathe in dust from where infected animals have been – especially in areas that are mowed regularly.
People may be more likely to be exposed if they:
- work with animals or animal materials
- are in places where livestock or wild animals have been
- are in a regional or rural area.
See what measures you can take to protect yourself.
Diagnosis and treatment
If your healthcare professional suspects you have Q fever, they will refer you for blood tests to confirm the diagnosis.
Make sure you tell them if you have been around animals or in an area where animals might have been.
You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you.
Q fever is treated with antibiotics. Early treatment is important to reduce the risk of complications.
People with chronic Q fever need long-term antibiotics.
Read more about how to manage or treat Q fever.
Surveillance and reporting
Q fever is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.
Health authorities in each state and territory report new cases to us daily through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.
This is part of our surveillance activities, which help us monitor case numbers around the country and understand disease patterns.
We analyse the data and report on case numbers and other data through our data visualisation tool, where you can filter and search the latest information.
Outbreaks
Public health authorities work with animal health authorities to respond to Q fever outbreaks in people.
Control measures might include:
- urgently testing people where the outbreak is or who have symptoms
- checking the vaccination status of people who might have been exposed
- only allowing vaccinated people to enter where the outbreak is
- advising workplaces about extra steps they need to take to protect workers
- environmental controls – such as burying animal birth materials deep underground.
Read more about how we define and plan for outbreaks.
Support
For information about Q fever in your state or territory see:
- Australian Capital Territory
- New South Wales
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Western Australia.
If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.
For travel advice, see Smartraveller.
We regularly add new content to this website. This will include more topics and diseases. In the meantime, information about other diseases in Australia is on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s website.