People not at significant risk from Shamonda virus found in Irish farm animals

Most people are “not at risk” from a virus first reported in a human in France last week, despite it being found in Irish farm animals, a leading expert has said.French authorities last week reported the first human Shamonda virus infection, a disease that until now only affected animals.It is spread by midges and mainly causes mild illness in cattle, though it can cause birth defects in calves. [ First human case of Shamonda virus is reported in FranceOpens in new window ]It was first identified in Europe in late July, and earlier this month it was detected on two dairy farms in Co Cork. It has previously been detected in animals in countries outside Europe.READ MOREThe European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said it was carefully monitoring the situation to investigate the potential public health implications.The ECDC said the patient in France died in early October, but the individual had been receiving treatment for a serious illness that made them more susceptible to infection and complications.Investigations into whether the virus caused or contributed to the death and how the infection was acquired are ongoing. Gerald Barry, assistant professor of virology and deputy director of the UCD One Health Centre at University College Dublin, said news of a person dying as a result of Shamonda virus was surprising and unusual.“It is the first-ever reported human case for this virus. For some context, it is associated with an immunocompromised person who was already ill. This does not discount the terrible situation, but it suggests that most of the population are not at risk,” he said.“There haven’t been any other human cases reported previously with this virus or genetically similar viruses to it. It typically causes disease in cattle and sheep, not humans.”Barry said Europe was being “bombarded” with new viruses, particularly ones borne by mosquitoes and midges. “We are seeing more and more cases in humans and animals from different viruses, and these cases are slowly moving northwards from the Mediterranean basin towards the UK and Ireland. We can expect these types of incidents, with a range of new viruses, to increase in the coming years and decades.”Connor Bamford from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast said the “very recent and rapid spread” of the virus across Europe was increasingly concerning.“A human infection in a patient who died is also a serious development, even if the person was immunocompromised. More work must be done to ascertain how exposed humans are to this infection, and any association with illness,” he said.“Current understanding is that this is not of big concern to the majority of people in the general public given its association with biting midges of livestock. However, this merits increased awareness in individuals like agricultural workers working near affected animals.”