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- Q Fever/Coxiella burnetii in Sheep, Goats and Cattle Control Policy
Q Fever/Coxiella burnetii in Sheep, Goats and Cattle Control Policy
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- Motorcycle, Scooter (Includes E-Scooters)/Moped, Segway and Bicycle Use by Employees: Personal Protective Equipment Policy
- Natural Gas Leaks Policy
- Occupational Safety Forms
- Personal Protective Equipment
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- Q Fever/Coxiella burnetii in Sheep, Goats and Cattle Control Policy
- Recreational Use of the Lake Alice Watershed Policy
- Respiratory Protection Policy
- Shop Safety & Machine Guarding Policy
- Student Shop Safety Policy
- Temporary Structures on Campus (Including Tents)
- Tractor & Roll Over Protection Structures (ROPS) Safety Policy
- Trenching and Excavation Policy
- Vaccination Policy for Research Personnel
OBJECTIVE
To protect University of Florida faculty, staff, students, volunteers, and visitors from exposure to the Q fever agent (Coxiella burnetii)
AUTHORITY
By authority delegated from the University President, the Vice-President for Business Affairs is responsible for the safety of all University facilities. Under this authority, policies are developed to provide a safe teaching, research, service, housing and recreational environment.
POLICY
Sheep and goats coming to UF for biomedical research purposes will have tested negative for Q fever within one month prior to the shipment. Sheep and goats coming to the UF for agricultural purposes will be held in an outdoor, isolated quarantine area until Q fever negative test results are obtained. Contact Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) for guidance on Q fever testing. All newly arriving animals will be held in a quarantine area and segregated from other animals. Access to quarantined animals will be restricted to essential personnel. Sheep and goats will be required to have a second Q fever negative test prior to being housed indoors or used for biomedical research or invasive surgical procedures. Animals confirmed positive will be euthanized and disposed of as biohazardous material; no tissues may be collected from positive animals. All indoor housing, research, and/or procedure areas for sheep and goats will be confined to areas having no recirculation of air to other rooms. These rooms will be posted with a biohazard sign.
All rooms in the Animal Care Services vivarium housing sheep or goats shall be negative pressured relative to vivarium corridor(s).
Participation in the Animal Contact Medical Monitoring Program is required for all individuals working with, or in close proximity to, sheep and goats or for those entering indoor housing, research, and/or procedure rooms/areas. This program includes a risk assessment and a health questionnaire. Follow-up assessments are conducted on a periodic basis, as well as in the event of an exposure to a Q fever positive animal. Employees, students, or UF affiliates who develop a febrile illness while working with sheep and goats (or their tissues or fluids) will be directed to seek immediate medical care at UF’s SHCC Occupational Medicine Service. Initial training is required for all individuals that will work with, and around, sheep and goats. The training will cover information about Q fever found in the Animal Contact Program Handbook, and methods to reduce exposure, as described below. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) will be required.
- Indoor housing, procedure, and research rooms/areas require disposable or on site-laundered jumpsuits or coveralls, booties or dedicated footwear, eye protection, surgical mask or HEPA-filtered/N95 respirator (recommended), and gloves.
- Obstetrical procedures or surgery/necropsy of pregnant animals conducted indoors will require the use of a HEPA-filtered/N95. Note that the use of a HEPA-filtered/N95 respirator requires enrollment in the EH&S Respiratory Protection Program.
- IFAS or Veterinary Medical Center personnel contacting placental tissue or amniotic fluid (i.e. at parturition or abortion) should wear coveralls, boots, face mask or HEPA-filtered/N95 respirator (recommended), and gloves. Personnel must wash and change prior to leaving the facility.
Aborted fetuses should be removed immediately for disposal as biohazardous material and the ewe or doe retested for Q fever. EH&S Biosafety personnel shall perform periodic inspections of all sheep and goat facilities and practices. They will audit work practices, PPE, and engineering controls. Failure to comply with the policy will result in the rescinding of an investigator’s animal use approval and ability to procure animals. This policy shall be reviewed and updated annually.