Q FEVER VACCINATION
Q Fever Vaccination in Bulimba, Brisbane
If you work with livestock, in an abattoir, on a farm, in a vet clinic or with wildlife, your employer or training provider may need proof that you're protected against Q fever before you start. Oxford Street Medical Centre is a Q fever accredited clinic in Bulimba, on Brisbane's inner east. We do the screening, the vaccination and the paperwork onsite.
What is Q fever?
Q fever is a bacterial infection that spreads from animals to people. In Australia it mostly comes from cattle, sheep, goats and kangaroos. You catch it by breathing in dust or droplets contaminated by infected animals, particularly birth fluids and placenta, and it can also travel on wool, hides and clothing.
Early on it feels like a bad flu: high fever, drenching sweats, severe headache, exhaustion and muscle aches. Some people develop pneumonia or hepatitis, and around one in ten go on to months of post Q fever fatigue. Central Queensland and the Queensland and New South Wales border are two of the main hot spots in the country.
Who should be vaccinated?
The Australian Immunisation Handbook recommends vaccination for anyone aged 15 and over who is at risk, including:
Abattoir, meat processing and stockyard workers
Farmers, station hands and shearers
Livestock transporters
Vets, vet nurses and veterinary students
Agricultural college and university staff and students
Wildlife, zoo and animal refuge workers
People who cull or process kangaroos or camels
Dog and cat breeders and pet food workers
Laboratory staff who handle animal samples
Many employers, universities and TAFEs won't let you start work or placement until it's done.
How the vaccination works: two visits, one week apart
Q fever vaccination isn't a walk in, walk out jab. Everyone has to be screened first, because the vaccine can cause a nasty reaction in people who've already had Q fever, often without knowing it.
Visit 1: screening. The doctor takes your history, places a small skin test on your forearm and sends you for a blood test. Both are done on the same day.
Visit 2: seven days later. The doctor reads the skin test and checks your blood result. If both are clear, you're vaccinated at this visit. It's a single injection. No boosters are needed and immunity lasts at least five years.
The second visit has to be seven days after the first, so please book both appointments together and don't plan to be away in between.
Who can't have the vaccine?
You shouldn't be vaccinated if you've already had Q fever or the Q fever vaccine, if your screening tests come back positive, or if you've had a severe allergic reaction to eggs. It's not routinely given during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or to anyone under 15.
If you think you may have been vaccinated years ago (common in long term meat industry workers), bring any paperwork you have. We can also check the Australian Q Fever Register for you.
What to bring
Your Medicare card
Any previous Q fever vaccination or test records
Any forms your employer, university or training provider needs completed
A list of your current medications
Fees
Q fever vaccination isn't covered by the National Immunisation Program or Medicare, so there is a cost.
Visit 1 screening consult: $185 and Skin test: is $55.
Visit 2 consult: $100 and vaccine is $185.
The blood test is billed separately by the pathology lab.
After you're vaccinated
Once your vaccination is complete we'll give you a record for your employer and, with your consent, add you to the Australian Q Fever Register so future employers can confirm you're covered.
Side effects are usually mild: a sore arm, headache, tiredness or a slight fever for a day or two.
Book your Q fever screening
Book a Q fever screening appointment with call reception on 07 3902 0099. Tell reception it's for Q fever so we can book both visits together and have the skin test ready for you.
We're on Oxford Street in the heart of Bulimba, with free onsite parking and lift access, and we see patients from across Brisbane.