Outbreak of a rare disease in Cheltenham

Throughout the summer months, Cheltenham has witnessed an outbreak of a rare illness called Q Fever, which is caught from infected livestock. A total of 28 cases have been identified in Cheltenham, while there are usually only a dozen incidents across the whole of the UK in a year. Most people infected in Cheltenham required hospital treatment. Victims were located in a south-west to north-east cross section of the town, from Hatherley to Bishop's Cleeve.

Victims can suffer severe pneumonia while others show no ill effects. Some people recover without treatment. The infection is often caught by close contact with farm animals but it can be also blown in the air, which may have been the case as none of the Cheltenham victims had any direct contact with farm animals. The evidence so far points to the period of risk being more than three months ago. The hot dry weather in April and May may have helped in spreading the disease.

The outbreak is now considered to be over, as the highest risk of infection is in the spring.