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Based on current evidence, it is not possible to confirm or exclude a causal relationship between detection of the new orthobunyavirus and the observed clinical symptoms in cattle and small livestock.

The ECDC communicable disease threats report is a weekly bulletin intended for epidemiologists and health professionals in the area of communicable disease prevention and control.

Since November 2011, the so-called Schmallenberg virus (SBV) has been reported in cattle, sheep and goats in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Luxembourg, Italy and now Spain. The Dutch Central Veterinary Institute found anti-SBV antibodies in 70 percent of samples taken from Dutch cattle between 1 November 2011 and 1 February 2012. This indicates widespread infection and an underestimation of total cases of infection with the virus.

This updated rapid risk assessment was prepared jointly with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany, and the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Netherlands.