MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has announced that there are currently no active cases of Q fever in the Philippines, following a series of tests and measures taken after the initial detection of the disease among imported goats earlier this year.
According to Philippines News Agency, the DA confirmed the absence of Q fever cases and is preparing to release a comprehensive final report on the incident. Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii bacteria, which can be transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals or their excreta, as well as body and birthing fluids. The issue came to light after goats imported from the United States tested positive for the bacteria in June.
DA Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa stated that the situation was contained following the depopulation of 94 goats that had been kept on secluded farms in Pampanga and Marinduque. “The Bureau of Animal Industry has finished culling five dozen goats imported from the US following the detection of Q fever. There are no more reported cases of Q fever. We have already controlled the Q-fever,” De Mesa explained.
This announcement followed the lifting of a temporary ban on the import of live goats from the US, instituted under Memorandum Order 43 dated October 8. De Mesa also mentioned a report from the World Organization for Animal Health, which indicated no recent cases of Q fever in the US, suggesting the detected Q fever might have originated locally.
The forthcoming final report by the fact-finding team is expected to shed more light on the situation and may be released within the month. Earlier, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. had ordered a study to determine whether Q fever is endemic to the Philippines, especially since the imported goats had tested negative for the disease before their arrival.
De Mesa emphasized that the DA has implemented more stringent measures, including enhanced pre-border checks and improved quarantine facility operations, to prevent future outbreaks of similar diseases. “To ensure that if there’s detection, it will be immediately reported. What happened previously was there was no proper dissemination of accurate information. So, these are part of the stringent measures,” he added.