Shamonda virus reaches Lower Saxony: What is known about the new livestock disease?

The Shamonda virus has reached Lower Saxony, where authorities detected it at two cattle farms in Holzminden district. It has also been identified elsewhere in Germany, including in a horse from Rhineland-Palatinate and an alpaca from Hesse.

Lower Saxony has recorded a different variant from the one spreading in southern Germany. The state agriculture ministry identified the local strain as SHAV-EU2, compared with SHAV-EU1 in southern Germany, describing the situation as two independent disease outbreaks. Earlier, the virus had been reported only sporadically in parts of Asia and Africa before spreading rapidly in Germany from late summer, initially mainly in the south.

Mosquitoes are considered the vectors. Direct transmission from animal to animal has not been proven, according to information from Bavaria’s state health office. The virus is related to Schmallenberg virus, known in Germany since 2011 and associated with similar symptoms.

Cattle, sheep and goats have been affected most often so far. In cattle, reported signs include falling milk production, diarrhea and fever. Officials say it is not yet known whether infection affects pregnancy or unborn animals, although deformities and miscarriages are possible. The illness usually lasts a short time, and most animals recover quickly.

There are currently no control measures or trade restrictions, and officials say an infection does not initially carry wide-ranging consequences. Veterinary authorities are recording cases in a database and asking owners to have symptomatic animals examined. No vaccine is available, so effective insect protection is considered the best defense. The Friedrich Loeffler Institute says people face no relevant infection risk based on current knowledge, and consumers face no health danger from milk and milk products.

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Most animals recover within a short time.