French health authorities have reported the first known human case of the Shamonda virus (SHAV) after a patient with a severely weakened immune system died in early October.
The patient had been receiving treatment for a serious illness at a hospital in Lyon and developed neurological complications that authorities believe were likely linked to the infection.
In a joint statement on Thursday, October 22, France’s health and agriculture ministries described the infection as an exceptional case involving a severely immunocompromised patient.
Authorities said there was currently no identified health risk to the general public as investigations continued to establish how the virus was transmitted to humans.
The leading hypothesis is that the patient contracted the virus through the bite of an infected Culicoides midge in eastern France, where the virus had been detected in animals earlier this year.
Shamonda virus primarily affects cattle and is transmitted by biting midges. In livestock, infection can cause fever, diarrhoea and reduced milk production. Infections have also been detected in other animals, including sheep, goats, alpacas and horses.
Until this case, the virus was considered non-transmissible to humans, with no human infections documented despite decades of circulation in Africa and Asia.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said it was working with French and European partners to assess the potential public health implications of the case.
The virus was first detected in European livestock in 2026 and has since been identified in several countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Ireland, as well as Jersey.
The case has also been reported to the World Health Organization as investigations continue into the circumstances of the infection and its possible role in the patient’s death.
