GOATS FROM THE U.S. TEMPORARILY BAN, DA CONFIRMS FIRST ‘Q FEVER’ CASE IN THE PH

  The DA confirms first case of Q fever in the Philippines that came from the US (Photo courtesy of NIAID/ABS-CBN News)

The first case of Q fever in the country was recorded according to the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday. The department has established a special fact-finding committee to look into the Q fever disease's prevalence in Santa Cruz, the province of Marinduque.

According to DA, the 94 goats that were imported in the country in January, 19 tested positive for the disease. The disease is mainly found in cattle, sheep, and goats, but it can also infect humans if they inhale in contaminated dust.

Officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division, Dr. Christian Daquigan said that the majority of the disease-positive goats are located in Santa Cruz, Marinduque and there was currently no verified human case locally.

Goat imports from the US would be temporarily prohibited, according to the Department of Agriculture. It also said that everything is in control.

In June 19, the DA issued Special Order No. 867, which stated that the panel would investigate "all the facts and circumstances" pertaining to the "alleged violations and irregularities" committed by officials and staff of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) in connection with "the importation and failure to contain goats infected with Q fever disease" in the region.

According to the webpage of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coxiella burnetii is a bacteria that causes the infectious disease, which can infect both humans and animals.

By contacting the placenta, fetus, or bodily fluids of an infected animal that has given birth, or by drinking contaminated milk, an individual can contract the disease from an infected animal. Some may not show any symptoms at all, but others may feel chills, fever, headaches, sore muscles, and in rare circumstances, pneumonia.

Source: ABS-CBN News 

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