Butchers in Hyderabad city have reportedly been asked to stay away from slaughter houses following several reports of a Q fever outbreak in the city.
Q fever is a bacterial infection caused by the bacteria Coxiella burnetii that spreads from animals such as goats, sheep, and cattle. People can get infected by breathing in dust that has been contaminated by infected animal. People with Q fever usually develop flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, fatigue, and muscle pain, according to the CDC.
The Hyderabad-based National Research Centre on Meat or NRCM reportedly conducted serological tests that confirmed that five butchers among 250 samples had Q fever, reports TOI.
NRCM also confirmed that several other zoonotic diseases like Psittacosis and hepatitis E were also found in less than 5% of samples. Psittacosis is an infectious disease that usually spread to humans from infected birds in the parrot family.
The NRCM report forced the Hyderabad civic authorities to take action. Officials reportedly urged infected butchers to stay away from slaughterhouses and were also asked to go for advanced diagnostic tests.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) chief veterinary officer Abdul Vakil told TOI there was no cause for alarm because only a few butchers were infected so far.
“As butchers deal with cattle and sheep, they are prone to such infections via air-borne transmission. It could be an ongoing infection or previously they were infected and developed antibodies,” a GHMC veterinarian said adding that this doesn’t mean the butchers are currently capable of infecting others.
“There may or may not be a possibility of similar infection among others. We will have to conduct tests in the general population,” an NRCM scientist said.
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