A virus that had been linked to a death in France has been found in British lifestock for the first time. Shamonda virus (SHAV) has been detected in two dairy farms across England and Wales, the UKHSA has confirmed. The virus previously believed to be non-transmissible to humans had only been detected in goats, alpacas and horses. However it was connected to the death of a person in France just last month.
The virus is thought to be primarily spread by Culicoides biting midges and mainly affects cattle, and was detected at a dairy farm in Powys, Wales, and Shropshire, England last month, after samples were collected and tested in laboratories.
Cases have been recorded in 14 western European countries, including farms in Jersey and the Republic of Ireland. Though the only human case of SHAV was of the severely immunosuppressed indidvual in Lyon, France.
Officials called it an “exceptional case in a severely immunocompromised patient,” as the person’s weak immune system left them more vulnerable to falling ill.
At the time, they confirmed: “Despite circulating in Africa and Asia for several decades, the Shamonda virus has never previously been detected in humans.
The UKHSA said: “There is currently no evidence of wider transmission among humans and the current risk to the general population is considered very low. The UKHSA are continuing to monitor the situation closely.”
The Shamonda virus also poses a risk to food safety in Britain, according to the Food Standards Agency. Livestock keepers have been instructed to monitor their animals for clinical signs of SHAV, which include fever, diarrhoea, lethargy and reduced milk production.
However, the UKHSA says there is no reason to suggest additional disease-control measures are necessary.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
