Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food raised the alert level over the Shamonda virus on 22 October, while also urging calm. The department headed by Luis Planas said it was monitoring the situation closely and in constant contact with France, the autonomous communities and the health authorities. The trigger was France’s confirmation that a patient with severe immunodeficiency who had tested positive for the Shamonda virus had died. French authorities stress that no general health risk to the public has been identified so far; investigations into the cause and possible route of transmission are under way.
The Ministerio de Agricultura says the virus has been detected in Spanish cattle herds since September. Confirmed animal outbreaks have been reported, among other places, in Cantabria, Girona, Ávila and Madrid . Dairy cows are mainly affected; symptoms include fever, reduced milk production and, in some cases, fertility problems. According to specialist authorities, transmission occurs through biting Culicoides midges, while direct transmission from animal to animal is considered unlikely. The virus had not previously been described as a cause of clinical illness in humans; the case now reported in France is being validated and assessed by scientific institutions.
The ministry (abbreviated to MAPA) stresses that this is an animal disease for which Spain already has a monitoring and reporting programme. Diagnoses are confirmed by national reference laboratories, farms are being urged to report suspected symptoms promptly, and hygiene measures for vector control are in place. No trade restrictions have currently been introduced within Spain; any further measures will depend on the epidemiological situation and European requirements.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) classifies the case in France as the first known instance of infection in a human and recommends continuing veterinary and entomological surveillance. The risk to the general public is still considered very low. For occupationally exposed groups, such as veterinarians and cattle farm workers, the authorities advise thorough protection against mosquitoes and adherence to on-farm biosecurity rules.
Spain intends to update its situation reports continuously. MAPA says that new scientific findings, particularly on the clinical significance for humans, will be incorporated promptly into risk assessments and any adjustments to measures.
Editor: Clara Simonichek (Article created with AI assistance).