Outbreak of Q fever investigated

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An outbreak of a rare illness called Q Fever, which is caught from infected livestock, is being investigated in the Cheltenham area.

A total of 28 cases have been identified among local people, most requiring hospital treatment.

Victims can suffer severe pneumonia while others show no ill effects. Some people recover without treatment.

The infection is often caught by close contact with farm animals but it can be also be blown in the air.

A team led by the Health Protection Agency is looking at how residents may have caught the infection.

Lambing season

Epidemiologist Dr Deirdre Lewis said: "Q fever is generally a mild infection but we know that it can cause complications, so we've been keen to look into this as thoroughly as we can.

"We've not had any reported cases of Q fever in Gloucestershire residents since 2002, so seeing 28, mostly from the Cheltenham area, is unusual."

The evidence so far points to the period of risk being more than three months ago.

Most of the patients, who are aged between 40 and 70, are said to be recovering well after falling ill earlier in the summer.

Q - standing for Query - fever, was so called originally because for many years its cause was unknown.

It tends to be more common around the lambing season, although it can occur at any time of year.

"I appreciate that news of this outbreak will surprise some local people," said Dr Lewis.

"They can be reassured that we're working hard to investigate it."

An outbreak of Q fever in Solihull in 1989 led to 147 human cases.

Researchers have suggested that it was caused by a combination of outdoor lambing and calving and particular weather conditions leading to the infective organism being blown several miles to populated areas.