Gippsland Q Fever Project

If you are a dairy farm owner, employee or share or lease a dairy farm you will be eligible to access this subsidised Q Fever testing and vaccination. Service providers can express interest in accessing, but priority will be given to farmers and workers whose role is based on farm. Accessing Q Fever testing and vaccination requires two appointments that are one week apart. The first appointment involves a skin and blood test to check whether Q Fever antibodies are already present. At the second appointment, skin and blood test results will be assessed to understand if the vaccination is needed. If the antibodies are already present, the person will have already experienced Q Fever and will not need to be vaccinated.

This project is being delivered because the high financial cost (without subsidy) can be a barrier to being tested and vaccinated. Under this project, the maximum out of pocket expenses for each person being tested and vaccinated (regardless of the clinic you attend) will be $125. This cost will be less if you do not require the vaccination.

To book into these subsidised appointments, please call your preferred clinic on the phone numbers below:

It is extremely important to be tested and vaccinated for Q Fever when working on farm. Q Fever is a disease caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. It is spread to humans from cattle, sheep and goats and a range of other domestic and wild animals. Even people who do not have contact with animals may be infected. Contracting Q Fever can result in no symptoms or symptoms that are similar to severe flu-like illnesses. About 10% of people who are sick with acute Q Fever go on to suffer from a chronic fatigue-like illness that can be debilitating for years.

People usually get infected by breathing in air or dust that has been contaminated by Q Fever bacteria from birth fluids, urine, faeces, blood, or milk of infected animals. Cattle, sheep and goats are the main sources of infection, however a wide range of animals including domestic and feral dogs and cats, feral pigs, horses, rabbits, rodents, alpacas, camels, llamas, foxes, and Australian native wildlife can also spread the bacteria to humans. The bacteria can survive in the soil and dust for many years and can be spread over several kilometres by the wind.

The Gippsland Public Health Unit (GPHU) based at Latrobe Regional Hospital is responsible for managing this notifiable disease in Gippsland in partnership with WorkSafe Victoria. Data from the GPHU notes that Gippsland has been seeing a steady high number of Q fever cases over the last 10 years compared to the rest of the state. In 2023, Gippsland had the highest proportion of Q Fever cases in Victoria, 34.4% of total cases while constituting only 4.6% of the Victorian population. Where a person tests positive to Q Fever, WorkSafe and the GPHU will make contact with the person and their employer to discuss prevention strategies and workplace policies and practices to prevent any further cases.

In the past there was a national Q Fever register where a search could be completed to find a GP clinic offering Q Fever testing and vaccination, and where records were kept on Q Fever case numbers and vaccination rates. This register is no longer funded and from Monday 15 April 2024 those being Q Fever vaccinated will have their vaccination recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register. 

Those vaccinated prior to 15 April 2024 are able to approach their vaccination provider to request that their vaccination is added to their Australian Immunisation Register. This means that when you print your vaccination schedule (through Medicare) it will include Q Fever. 

This vaccination schedule will help those looking to work on farm to show evidence of vaccination and can be requested by employers as proof of vaccination. For those who have had Q Fever and do not require vaccination, a proof of antibodies document/card can be requested from your GP clinic to show as evidence that despite not being vaccinated you are not at risk of contracting Q Fever.  

The GPHU is working with the Victorian Department of Health to provide a webpage with the list of GP Clinics offering Q Fever testing and vaccination in Gippsland and across Victoria. More details will be shared when this is available. For any further questions on Q Fever, please contact the GippsDairy office on 03 5624 3900.