On 23 October 2026 the State Veterinary Administration announced the first confirmed case of Shamonda virus in Czechia, detected in a cattle herd in the Tábor area.
On 23 October 2026 the State Veterinary Administration (Státní veterinární správa, SVS) announced that veterinarians had confirmed Shamonda virus in a cattle herd in the Tábor area. It is the first detected occurrence of the virus in Czechia.[1][2]
Finding
Inspectors confirmed the infection in an aborted bovine foetus; some clinical signs are also appearing in adult cattle in the same herd. According to the SVS, under current national and European legislation the virus does not rank among dangerous diseases, the herd has no obligation to take any measures, and the occurrence has no effect on the veterinary certification of animals for export. The SVS may inform about preventive measures, for example restricting the movement of animals from the herd while clinical signs last. No effective protection against the infection is available.[1][2]
Monitoring
At the beginning of October 2026, given the confirmation of the infection in a number of countries of western and central Europe, the SVS introduced mandatory testing for this virus. It applies to abortions of calves and to births of calves with congenital malformations, stillborn or non-viable.[1][2]
Risk to humans
In October 2026 French authorities recorded Shamonda virus in a human for the first time. Deputy chief public health officer Matyáš Fošum said that the virus has circulated among animals in Africa and Asia for decades and that the Ministry of Health considers the risk to the Czech population very low. The World Health Organization said that further spread is unlikely. Virologist Jiří Černý of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague said that the virus does not pose a significant threat.[1][2]
Chronology
- — The Státní veterinární správa announced the first confirmed case of the Shamonda virus in Czechia, found on a cattle farm in the Tábor area. Echo24 Novinky.cz
Sources
- Echo24 — 23 October 2026
- Novinky.cz — 23 October 2026