Health

Shamonda livestock virus infects human for first time, French officials say

French health officials say a severely immunocompromised patient who died in early October was infected, and no public risk has been identified.

Updated Oct 22, 2026 · 16:18 UTC2 reports

The short version

French health officials report the first known human Shamonda virus infection, in a severely immunocompromised patient who died in early October.[Deutsche Welle · Associated Press]
Officials say Shamonda virus, a midge-borne livestock pathogen, had never before been detected in humans.[Deutsche Welle]
Officials say no public health risk has been identified, and WHO calls the case isolated and unlikely to spread.[Deutsche Welle · Associated Press]
Investigators hypothesize a midge bite in eastern France caused the infection, and the investigation is ongoing.[Deutsche Welle · Associated Press]

French health officials said the Shamonda virus infection was the first-ever detected in a human.[Deutsche Welle]
The patient was severely immunocompromised and died in early October, according to French health authorities.[Deutsche Welle · Associated Press]
The patient was being treated for a serious illness in Lyon.[Associated Press]
France's Ministries of Health and Agriculture said Shamonda virus had not previously been detected in humans despite decades of circulation in Africa and Asia.[Deutsche Welle]
Shamonda virus was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and primarily affects livestock, particularly cattle.[Deutsche Welle]
France's health ministry said no public health risk to the general population has been identified to date.[Deutsche Welle · Associated Press]
The World Health Organization said the case appears isolated and is unlikely to lead to wider spread at this time.[Deutsche Welle]
The Ministry of Agriculture said its working hypothesis is a midge bite in eastern France, where the virus was reported circulating among animals in spring and summer.[Deutsche Welle · Associated Press]

The transmission route is a hypothesis under investigation, not a confirmed finding.[Deutsche Welle · Associated Press]
The low-risk assessments are based on current knowledge and may change as the investigation continues.[Deutsche Welle · Associated Press]
Reporting does not describe the clinical course or how the virus contributed to the death.[Deutsche Welle · Associated Press]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.