French health authorities have confirmed the first documented human infection with the Shamonda virus, a rare disease previously known to affect animals, particularly cattle.
The infected patient, who was severely immunocompromised and receiving treatment for a serious illness at a hospital in Lyon, died in early October. However, investigations are ongoing to determine whether the virus caused or contributed to the death.
According to French health authorities, the case is considered exceptional because the virus had not previously been documented in humans despite circulating among animals for decades. Officials have also stated that no public health risk to the general population has been identified at this time.
Shamonda virus is transmitted primarily through the bites of infected midges, which are tiny biting insects. The virus mainly affects cattle but has also been detected in sheep, goats, horses and alpacas.
French authorities believe the patient may have contracted the infection through an insect bite in eastern France, where the virus had been detected among animals earlier in 2026. However, the exact route of transmission has not been conclusively established.
The patient reportedly developed neurological complications during treatment, which French officials believe were likely linked to the infection. Medical and epidemiological investigations are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the case.
The virus was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and has since been reported sporadically in livestock in parts of Africa and Japan. It was detected in European livestock for the first time in 2026, with cases subsequently reported in several European countries.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is monitoring the situation in collaboration with French authorities and other European partners. France has also notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the case.
Health experts have stressed that the discovery warrants further investigation but does not currently indicate a significant threat to the wider population. There is also no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus.
Authorities are continuing laboratory, clinical and epidemiological investigations to better understand how the infection occurred and whether it could pose any future risk to human health.
