Overview
- Authorities confirmed a deadly Borna disease virus 1 infection in a resident from the Bad Wörishofen area in the Unterallgäu district of Bavaria.
- The Unterallgäu public health office is investigating the route of infection and is working with the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety.
- Human cases are very rare in Germany, with only a handful reported each year and most of them in Bavaria.
- Experts say the virus is carried by the bicolored shrew and likely reaches people through contact with its droppings, urine, saliva, or contaminated dust, not through person‑to‑person spread.
- Health guidance urges people to avoid contact with shrews and their remains and to use gloves, an FFP2 or FFP3 mask, and eye protection when handling carcasses or cleaning dusty areas.