Q Fever: Control Measures Overview for Clinicians

• In farm settings, minimize contact with the placenta, birth products, fetal membranes, and aborted fetuses of sheep, cattle, and goats.
• Quarantine new introductions of ruminants to prevent infection in herds that have not been previously exposed.
• Depopulation of livestock from infected herds is not usually recommended, as it is very difficult to remove Q fever from a ruminant herd.
• NIOSH Interim Recommendations for Selection and Use of Protective Clothing and Respirators Against Biological Agents
• "Biosafety Concerns" section of "Medical Examiners, Coroners, and Biologic Terrorism: A Guidebook for Surveillance and Case Management"
  MMWR 2004 Jun 11;53(RR-8):13-15.
  
• MMWR: Recognition of Illness Associated with the Intentional Release of a Biologic Agent
  MMWR 2001 Oct 19;50(41):893-897.

Mental Health

• Most people will experience normal emotional distress following exposure to the perceived or actual intentional release of a pathogen. A few will develop psychological illness depending on the circumstances of their exposure. Specific psychotherapeutic or psychopharmacologic treatments might be useful to treat post-traumatic stress disorders, anxiety disorders, or depression that might occur in some patients in the aftermath of exposure.
• For more information, see the following:
  • Disaster Mental Health Resources
  • Coping With a Traumatic Event: Information for Health Professionals
    
  • Mental Health Aspects of Terrorism
    (from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)