Reasonable Rascal
10-30-02, 13:16
Provided under the terms of fair use for education and discussion doctrine.
Q FEVER - UK (WALES)
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A ProMED-mail post
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 2002 17:02:16 +0100
Source: The Guardian [edited]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,819594,00.html>
Fever outbreak kept quiet to avoid panic
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Public health officials admitted they had not publicized an outbreak of a rare but potentially debilitating and fatal disease when it was at its height because of fears that the local population would panic. Up to 86 people are thought to have caught Q fever in an outbreak that is puzzling public health officials, although it was restricted to one factory manufacturing cardboard in Newport, south Wales.
Workers and subcontractors started falling ill in July 2002 and the illnesses peaked in August. Some needed brief hospital treatment. Most are said to be fully recovered and back at work, but some are still suffering long-term weakness associated with the disease, which usually affects farmers or abattoir staff. This time no link has been established with animals.
A total of 59 people have been confirmed as having had the disease, which can lead in a small minority of cases to lung damage or even death. A further 13 are considered probable victims of the disease, with 14 possible cases.
The scale of the outbreak came to light yesterday when the public health laboratory service for England and Wales (PHLS) told doctors to contact officials if they saw patients with pneumonia-like symptoms who had recently been to Newport.
The local evening paper had a news item on 21 Sep 2002 suggesting more than 40 people might have been taken ill, but a spokesman for Gwent health authority said yesterday it had decided not to make a general announcement about the outbreak "because it was not spreading beyond the confines of the factory". People in the company concerned had been kept fully informed, he said. There was concern that publicity would cause a panic.
No new cases have been identified in Newport in recent weeks. Investigations into the cause are said to be continuing. In all 214 people who worked at the factory were interviewed and tested.
Only around 70 cases of Q fever are usually identified each year in England and Wales. Last year that figure fell to 47, probably because of the foot and mouth cull, although 3 of those were soldiers disposing of carcasses.
[Byline: James Meikle]
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ProMED-mail
[Human infection with the rickettsial cause of Q fever is a zoonosis usually spread by aerosol from an infected animal. Like the outbreak in Chamonix, France earlier this year cited below, the zoonotic reservoir may not be identified. It can be postulated that an infected animal such as a cat contaminated the environment and an aerosol resulted. The diagnostic criteria to make the diagnosis of Q fever is not given here. Hopefully, a formal public health epidemiologic investigation will assist in finding a source. -Mod.LL]
Q FEVER - UK (WALES)
******************
A ProMED-mail post
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 2002 17:02:16 +0100
Source: The Guardian [edited]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,819594,00.html>
Fever outbreak kept quiet to avoid panic
------------------------------------
Public health officials admitted they had not publicized an outbreak of a rare but potentially debilitating and fatal disease when it was at its height because of fears that the local population would panic. Up to 86 people are thought to have caught Q fever in an outbreak that is puzzling public health officials, although it was restricted to one factory manufacturing cardboard in Newport, south Wales.
Workers and subcontractors started falling ill in July 2002 and the illnesses peaked in August. Some needed brief hospital treatment. Most are said to be fully recovered and back at work, but some are still suffering long-term weakness associated with the disease, which usually affects farmers or abattoir staff. This time no link has been established with animals.
A total of 59 people have been confirmed as having had the disease, which can lead in a small minority of cases to lung damage or even death. A further 13 are considered probable victims of the disease, with 14 possible cases.
The scale of the outbreak came to light yesterday when the public health laboratory service for England and Wales (PHLS) told doctors to contact officials if they saw patients with pneumonia-like symptoms who had recently been to Newport.
The local evening paper had a news item on 21 Sep 2002 suggesting more than 40 people might have been taken ill, but a spokesman for Gwent health authority said yesterday it had decided not to make a general announcement about the outbreak "because it was not spreading beyond the confines of the factory". People in the company concerned had been kept fully informed, he said. There was concern that publicity would cause a panic.
No new cases have been identified in Newport in recent weeks. Investigations into the cause are said to be continuing. In all 214 people who worked at the factory were interviewed and tested.
Only around 70 cases of Q fever are usually identified each year in England and Wales. Last year that figure fell to 47, probably because of the foot and mouth cull, although 3 of those were soldiers disposing of carcasses.
[Byline: James Meikle]
--
ProMED-mail
[Human infection with the rickettsial cause of Q fever is a zoonosis usually spread by aerosol from an infected animal. Like the outbreak in Chamonix, France earlier this year cited below, the zoonotic reservoir may not be identified. It can be postulated that an infected animal such as a cat contaminated the environment and an aerosol resulted. The diagnostic criteria to make the diagnosis of Q fever is not given here. Hopefully, a formal public health epidemiologic investigation will assist in finding a source. -Mod.LL]