An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 goats and sheep in the Netherlands are to be slaughtered in connection with Q-fever.

Health Minister Ab Klink and Agriculture Minister Gerda Verburg have agreed that all pregnant animals must be slaughtered on infected farms where animals have not been vaccinated, whether or not they have the virus.

Q-fever is caused by bacteria (Coxiella burnetii) released when pregnant goats or sheep have spontaneous abortions. The disease is prevalent in areas in the southern Netherlands which have large goat farms and a relatively dense population.
 

This year alone 2200 people have contracted Q-fever, most of them in the southern rural province of Brabant. At least six people have died.

Photo of animal vaccinations by ANP