The Borna virus is rare but extremely dangerous
The Borna virus can be transmitted from field shrews to humans and cause severe inflammation of the brain there. The chances of survival after an infection are low.
In Germany there are only a few cases per year, but for those affected it is a heavy blow of fate. Infection with the Borna virus is usually fatal and even those who survive retain severe brain damage. Now it has hit another person in the Bavarian district of Mühldorf am Inn, where there have already been two cases in the past three years.
The Borna virus is particularly widespread in southern and eastern Germany, and the health authorities registered seven infections nationwide last year, five of them in Bavaria. In 2021, the virus was first detected in people in Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg and Lower Saxony. To date, there is no vaccination or treatment for the disease. Infections with the Borna virus have been notifiable since March 2020.
Hardly anyone survives an infection with the Borna virus
By examining the brain tissue of deceased patients, Bavarian scientists found in 2019 that at least 14 people had died there since 1995 from encephalitis after a Borna infection, including an 11-year-old and a 25-year-old. Two people became infected through a contaminated organ donation and died, a third person survived with a severe disability. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), it is the only known case in which a person survived a Borna infection.
Martyrdom usually begins with a headache, fever and a general feeling of illness, later followed by neurological symptoms such as behavioral problems and problems with speaking, walking or swallowing. Patients fall into a coma within a few days or weeks. A 58-year-old in Saxony-Anhalt had to be cared for in a nursing home in autumn 2021 a few months after her infection after she had lost consciousness and was no longer responsive.
How to avoid infection with the Borna virus
“Pferdeborna” or “classic Borna” has long been known as an animal disease. The virus can be transmitted from animals to humans, but not from human to human. In Germany, the field shrew is the only known reservoir of the pathogen. Direct contact with the rodent is not required to become infected: the pathogen is found in the animal’s excrement and can be blown up and inhaled in dry weather. According to the RKI, another route of infection is contact with infected livestock such as horses or sheep, which can pick up the virus when grazing.
The RKI recommends that people in the distribution area of the pathogen avoid contact with field shrews. These should not be kept as pets, live or dead animals should not be touched with bare hands. According to the RKI, anyone who has the animals in their vicinity should remove possible food sources such as dog and cat food in the outdoor area. Compost heaps or other waste can also attract field shrews with a wide range of insects.
