French health authorities have reported the first-ever human infection with Shamonda virus after a severely immunocompromised patient died in early October.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to the French health and agriculture ministries, the patient was receiving treatment for a serious illness at the Hospices Civils de Lyon. The infection marks the first documented human case of the virus, which had previously been known to affect animals.
The authorities said the patient was believed to have contracted the virus through the bite of an infected midge in eastern France, where the virus had been circulating among animals during the spring and summer of 2026.
They added that clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations were ongoing to establish how the infection occurred and its implications.
The French authorities said neurological complications observed in the patient before his death were likely linked to the infection.
However, they stressed that no health risk to the general population had been identified based on current knowledge of the virus.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said it was working with French authorities and other European partners to investigate the potential public health implications of the case.
Shamonda virus belongs to the Orthobunyavirus group and is transmitted to animals through the bites of small insects. It was first isolated from cattle in Nigeria in 1965 and has since been detected sporadically in parts of Africa and Asia.
The virus was detected in European livestock for the first time in 2026 and has since been reported in several countries across the continent.
Despite decades of circulation among animals, no human infection had been documented before the French case.
