France has reported the first documented human infection with Shamonda virus, previously detected only in animals, after an infected patient died in early October.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the development in a post on X, saying the patient had been immunocompromised, making them more vulnerable to infection and severe disease.
“France has reported the first documented case of a human infection with Shamonda virus, a virus only previously detected in animals,” Tedros wrote.
He expressed condolences to the patient’s family and said the WHO was working with French authorities to establish how the infection occurred and assess any potential public health risk.
“WHO is in contact with French authorities who are collecting information to better understand the source of infection in the first human patient, possible routes of transmission and any potential risk to public health,” he added.
French health authorities said the patient had a severe immune deficiency and was receiving treatment for a serious illness in Lyon before dying in early October.
The leading hypothesis is that the patient contracted the virus through the bite of a Culicoides midge in eastern France, where the virus had been circulating among animals during spring and summer this year.
Shamonda virus primarily affects livestock, particularly cattle, but has also been detected in sheep, goats and horses. It is transmitted between animals through the bites of infected midges.
The virus was first detected in Nigeria in the 1960s and has since been reported sporadically among animals in parts of Africa and Japan. It was identified in European livestock for the first time in 2026.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said investigations were continuing to determine how the patient acquired the infection and whether the virus caused or contributed to the death.
French authorities have said no public health risk to the general population has been identified based on current knowledge.
The WHO is working with French authorities to investigate the case and determine whether there are any implications for public health.