The Dutch government failed to give a response before the world’s outbreak of Q fever. This is a disease which gets transmitted to humans from farm animals. This is the report presented on Monday by a panel of expert s. The numbers of people who have fallen sick since the outbreak in 2007 have crossed 4000. 14 out of them have died.

Q fever is caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetti. It mainly infects cattle, goats and sheep. It occasionally affects human beings. This happens mainly when humans breathe air which is contaminated with the causative bacteria. This bacteria is present in billions in amniotic fluid and placenta from infected females and aborted fetuses.

Fever Q may or may not produce symptoms. In some, it causes rise in body temperature, pneumonia, coughing, severe headaches, fatigue, painful muscles and joints. While in others, it goes unnoticed for the first couple of days.

Numbers of infected people was released earlie this month by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment show that the contol strategy eventually paid off. So far, only 382 people have fallen sick with fever Q in the present year. The number is more than in 2009 by 2300.