Posted on: September 18, 2025
SA Health and SafeWork SA have issued an urgent public health alert following a significant rise in Q fever cases, a zoonotic disease that poses serious risks to workers in agriculture, livestock, and animal-related industries.
📊 A worrying trend
- 🦠 18 cases reported in 2025 — up from just 6 in 2022
Q fever is caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii and can spread in several ways, even without direct animal contact.
How Q fever spreads:
- 🔸 Inhaling contaminated dust or aerosols
- 🔸 Direct/indirect contact with infected animals (e.g. cattle, sheep, goats)
- 🔸 Handling contaminated materials like wool, hides, straw, or animal products
👷 Occupations at risk include:
- • Farm workers, shearers, and station hands
- • Livestock transporters and crate drivers
- • Meat workers and wool classers
- • Veterinarians, zoo staff, and ag students
🩺 Symptoms to watch for:
Q fever symptoms can appear suddenly and include:
- • Fever and chills
- • Fatigue and muscle aches
- • Dry cough or breathing issues
- • Nausea and liver inflammation
- • In severe cases: pneumonia or hepatitis
✅ Prevention and control
To protect your team, implement these Q fever risk controls:
- 💉 Vaccinate all workers aged 15+ in high-risk roles
- 🧤 Wear PPE — gloves, masks, long sleeves, and protective clothing
- 🧼 Maintain strict hygiene and safe handling practices
- 📋 Include zoonotic disease controls in your Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS)
📌 How SWMS Generator helps
Whether you manage a farm, transport livestock, or work in animal processing, SWMS Generator makes it easy to:
- ✔️ Create industry-compliant SWMS in minutes
- ✔️ Include Q fever and other zoonotic disease controls
- ✔️ Share and access documents from any device
Proactive safety documentation can reduce risks — and protect your workers and your business.
Learn more at: https://swmsgenerator.com.au
