The counselor of Agriculture, Livestock, and Rural Development, Julián Martínez Lizán, has conveyed this Monday a message of "absolute tranquility" regarding the situation generated by the Shamonda virus. He emphasized that, although positive cases were detected at the time, there are currently no confirmed cases in Castilla-La Mancha and that constant monitoring is maintained to locate "possible outbreaks" that may arise, both from this pathology and from any other.
"Right now there is no confirmed case by any veterinarian throughout Castilla-La Mancha," the regional official stated, recalling that the episodes recorded in the community date back to last September, but that "the disease passed and there are none" at present.
Regarding the death in France of a man in whose body the virus was identified, Martínez Lizán explained that the patient presented a "severe" clinical picture and that, despite the virus being found in his body, it has not yet been established whether it had a direct relationship with the outcome or if the death was due to other causes unrelated to Shamonda.
The counselor added that there are scientists who maintain that this virus does not pose a risk to human health, although he stressed that the regional administration remains on alert and with active protocols. "The measures are in place at all times," he pointed out, referring to the ongoing monitoring to verify if new outbreaks appear.
In this regard, he warned that situations like this can lead to "exaggerated alarmism," reiterating that both doctors and authorized experts agree that there is no problem for human health. "We ask for responsibility" because "there are no cases in Castilla-La Mancha" and he expressed his desire that no negative consequences arise for the livestock sector.
Furthermore, he emphasized that control measures are continuously deployed, ensuring that monitoring is always carried out in a "very coordinated and rigorous" manner in the face of the emergence of diseases and that the response is attempted to be articulated as quickly as possible to contain any potential outbreak.