title: Acute ill-health in sheep farmers following use of pesticides.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sheep farmers often complain of acute ill-health, known colloquially as 'dipper's flu', immediately after treating sheep with pesticides. There have been few prospective epidemiological studies to determine it's nature and incidence. Aims To determine the nature and frequency of symptoms occurring in farmers treating sheep for ectoparasites.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a longitudinal study, farmers who planned to treat their sheep for ectoparasites were recruited. Farmers kept a symptom diary for 7 days after starting pesticide treatment. Symptoms reported on days 1-6 were compared to those reported on day 7 via the McNemar's test and with previously published literature definitions of dipper's flu. A principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out on new symptoms occurring on days 1 and 2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 781 farmers recruited, 352 farmers (45%) completed the symptom diary. In the 7 days after starting pesticide treatment, symptom complex reporting typically peaked on day 2, but few farmers (7 or less; <2%) were identified as having dipper's flu using literature definitions. However, PCA identified two new patterns of symptom complexes that accounted for 35% of the variance. A pyrexial factor consisted of four symptom complexes (feeling generally ill; feeling sweaty, shivery, feverish, hot or cold; feeling unusually tired; and having a headache) and a respiratory factor consisted of three symptom complexes (runny, stuffy, blocked or irritated nose; cough, shortness of breath or wheeze; and eye irritation).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Existing definitions of dipper's flu do not adequately describe symptoms that occur following the treatment of sheep for ectoparasites.
authors: Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester Manchester, UK. a.povey@manchester.ac.uk
authors: A C
authors: AC
authors: Povey
authors: H G
authors: HG
authors: Rees
authors: J P
authors: JP
authors: Thompson
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Watkins
authors: S J
authors: SJ
authors: Stocks
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Karalliedde
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000506:poisoning*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D034561:Sheep, Domestic / Q000469:parasitology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides