RIYADH, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- Goat flu, or Q-fever, that broke out in the Netherlands lately and infected 2,300 people, killing six, is a bacteria released by pregnant goats or sheep suffering from spontaneous abortions, said Director General of the Executive Bureau of the GCC Council of Health Ministers Dr. Tawfiq Khoja on Saturday.
In a press release, he said that the Dutch government had taken a number of precautionary measures, like planning to slaughter goats with high concentration of infection.
He said that the symptoms of the disease in humans included high fever, strong headaches, general fatigue, muscle pain, sore throat, coughing, chills and sweating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, as well as stomach and chest pain.
The fever might last up to 15 days, with a possibility of weight loss, and the most dangerous symptom is inflammation of the lining of the heart (endocarditic), he said, adding that the disease's incubation period was 2-3 weeks.
Regarding precautionary measures, he called for proper disposal of the placenta and fetal tissue from aborted fetuses of goats and sheep, and not to approach the barns and laboratories in which infected animals were kept, besides the use of pasteurized milk, following procedures for storage and packaging, and designating a quarantine for imported animals.
Khoja noted that the GCC countries were informed about the disease, its causes, infection means, symptoms, and treatments, as well as precautionary procedures like spreading awareness in society.
He said that infected animals should be kept far from populated areas to avoid the spread of infection by air, pointing out that the disease was confined to the Netherlands at present.
He also said that the World Health Organization (WHO) had not posted any information concerning the disease on its website, and that it was not considered an epidemic yet.
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