May 18, 2007

Australia conducts Q fever vaccination programme for meat workers

The government of Australia has constructed a new factory plant in Melbourne in securing a continuous supply of Q-Vax to vaccinate meat workers against Q-fever.

Q-fever is a viral infection commonly found in cattle, goats and sheep and is transmitted through inhalation of the contaminated particles and from contact with vaginal mucus, milk, feces, urine or semen of the infected animals.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry Peter McGauran joined Professor Barrie Marmion, who helped develop Q-Vax, and Dr Brian McNamee, Chief Executive Officer of CSL, to "turn the first sod" at pharmaceutical firm CSL in its Broadmeadows site, marking the start of construction work on the plant.

McGauran said the government has agreed to provide CSL with A$9 million to build a specialised facility to produce Q-Vax. McGauran said CSL-the only manufacturer of Q-Vax in the world--will produce the vaccine and screening tests at the Melbourne premises within ten years.

McGauran stressed that current supplies of Q-Vax would be adequate until the new manufacturing plant comes online. He said the facility is hoped to significantly decrease the risk of Q-fever in Australia. 

Since 2001, the government has allocated A$17.3 million to support Q-Fever screening and vaccination. The government, through its support for the Q-Fever vaccine, has helped to minimise the incidence of the disease, with only 398 cases reported in 2005. This compares to 924 cases being reported in 1993.