04.08.2026 01:31
The Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), the authority on animal health in Germany, has reported that an unknown virus causing fever and diarrhea in cattle on farms in the south of the country, and leading to reduced milk production, has begun to spread.
A new virus affecting cattle has been detected on farms in southern Germany.
CAUSES FEVER AND DIARRHEA
The Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) announced that the virus, which causes fever, diarrhea, and a decrease in milk yield in cattle, has begun to spread in samples taken from farms in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
NO SIGNIFICANT RISK FOR HUMANS
FLI reported that the virus is transmitted by blood-sucking mosquitoes and is considered to belong to the same virus group that includes the Schmallenberg virus, which appeared in Germany in 2011.
Authorities stated that, according to current data, the virus does not pose a significant infection risk for humans, but the situation is being closely monitored.
FIRST CASES SEEN IN SWITZERLAND AND FRANCE
It was reported that the first cases of the disease were detected in Switzerland and France, and that it began to appear in July on farms in southern Germany, particularly in Baden-Wuerttemberg.
SCHMALLENBERG VIRUS WAS SEEN IN 2011
The virus outbreak that emerged in Germany in 2011 affected hundreds of animals on 2,000 farms, causing miscarriages and stillbirths in animals, especially sheep. The virus, which was named after the town of Schmallenberg on the German-Dutch border where it first appeared, developed into an epidemic in August and September 2011, with clinical signs in dairy cattle characterized by hyperthermia, decreased milk yield, and watery diarrhea.