France reports first human Shamonda virus case after patient dies

France has reported the first known human infection with Shamonda virus, a disease previously associated with livestock, in a patient who later died, although health authorities say there is currently no identified risk to the general population.

The patient died in early October while receiving treatment for a serious illness that had left them more vulnerable to infection and complications, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Investigations are continuing to determine whether the Shamonda virus caused or contributed to the patient’s death and exactly how the infection was acquired.

French authorities believe the most likely explanation is that the patient was bitten by an infected midge in eastern France, where the virus had been circulating among animals during the spring and summer of 2026.

The ECDC said it was monitoring the case and working with French authorities and other European partners to assess any potential public-health implications.

“Based on the knowledge available regarding this virus, no health risk to the general population has been identified to date,” the French government said.

The World Health Organization also said the infection appeared to be an isolated case and was unlikely to lead to wider transmission based on current information and knowledge of closely related viruses.

Virus normally affects cattle

Shamonda virus is an insect-borne Orthobunyavirus transmitted primarily by biting midges.

It is most commonly found in cattle but has also been detected in horses, alpacas, sheep and goats, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health.

Until the French case, the virus had not been documented in humans.

It was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and has subsequently been detected sporadically in animals in Africa and Asia, including Japan.

There are currently no commercially available vaccines against Shamonda virus, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health.

Shamonda spreads across Europe

The virus was confirmed in Europe for the first time in late July following genomic testing of sick cattle in southern Germany, Switzerland and eastern France.

It has since been detected in animals in several European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain, as well as Jersey.

The disease is not currently classified under the European Union’s Animal Health Law and is therefore not subject to mandatory official surveillance or control measures.

In livestock, however, the effects can be significant.

A study involving nine French dairy farms found that milk production fell by as much as 75% in affected herds. Infected cattle have shown symptoms including diarrhoea, weakness, loss of appetite and, less frequently, fever.

The ECDC said the first human case followed the virus’s emergence among European farm animals this summer and stressed that investigations were continuing.

For now, authorities are treating the French infection as an exceptional case involving a highly vulnerable patient rather than evidence that Shamonda virus has begun spreading among humans.

Source: Reuters