Reports of the highly-infectious Q fever in the north east of Brabant have reached 115 over the past two weeks, bringing the total cases in the Netherlands this year to 432, the AD reports on Thursday.

Until last year, just 15 cases of Q fever a year were reported in the country as a whole. Q fever, which gives rise to flu-like symptoms, is spread by livestock which shed the bacteria in urine, faeces, birth products and milk.