France reports first human case of Shamonda virus

French authorities have reported the world’s first documented human infection with the Shamonda virus, which has previously been detected mainly in livestock. The patient, who was severely immunocompromised, died in early October, officials said.

French authorities have reported the world’s first documented human infection with the Shamonda virus, which has previously been detected mainly in livestock. The patient, who was severely immunocompromised, died in early October, officials said.

The patient was being treated in Lyon for a serious underlying illness. French authorities said the neurological complications observed before the patient’s death were very likely linked to the infection, while investigations continue.

“This is therefore an exceptional case involving a severely immunocompromised patient,” the authorities said in a statement.

“Based on current knowledge of the virus, no health risk to the general population has been identified to date,” they added.

The leading hypothesis is that the patient contracted the virus through the bite of a Culicoides midge in eastern France, where the pathogen had been circulating among animals during the spring and summer of 2026. Authorities have not established that the virus can spread directly from person to person.

Shamonda is an insect-borne virus in the orthobunyavirus family. It is closely related to the virus that causes Schmallenberg disease and is primarily associated with livestock, particularly cattle. Small ruminants may also be infected.

The virus was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and has since been detected sporadically in parts of Africa and Asia, including Japan. It was detected in European livestock for the first time in 2026, with cases reported in countries including France, Germany and Switzerland.

French authorities are continuing clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations into the human case.