1 in 20 people in city exposed to grim disease

IT IS a disease that can leave you off work for weeks, potentially affect your health for years and even lead to hepatitis and pneumonia.

That same disease, it can be revealed, one in 20 people in Toowoomba have been exposed to.

A study published by the Medical Journal of Australia is calling for all rural residents to be vaccinated against Q Fever after finding rates of an antibody that causes the horror illness to be more prevalent among Garden City residents.

The landmark report out of the University of Sydney detailed how 4.9 per cent of Toowoomba blood donors sampled carried the antibody.

In rare cases patients can die from Q Fever, though some of the more severe side effects include heart problems, seizures and chronic fatigue.

Figures show 2500 people across Australia were diagnosed with Q Fever between 2013 and 2017 and previous studies reveal those infected are hospitalised up for up to six days.

The study claims rural residents may be more at risk the those in metropolitan areas due to a number of factors including working in abattoirs or farms and living close to these industries.

The research was conducted by sampling 2740 Red Cross blood donations each from Toowoomba and the Hunter region in New South Wales.