France records first human death linked to Shamonda virus
— Authorities say patient was severely immunocompromised, no public health risk identified
France has reported the death of a severely immunocompromised patient infected with Shamonda virus, marking the first recorded human case of the virus.
The death was announced on Thursday in a statement by the French ministries responsible for health and agriculture, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The ministries described the infection as “an exceptional case involving a severely immunocompromised patient”.
The patient, who died in early October, was believed to have contracted the virus through the bite of a midge in eastern France, where the virus had been circulating among animals during the spring and summer.
French authorities said clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations were ongoing, adding that no risk to the general public had been identified at the time of the announcement.
“Despite circulating in Africa and Asia for several decades, the Shamonda virus has never previously been detected in humans,” the statement said.
It added that the neurological complications observed in the patient before his death were very likely linked to the infection.
About Shamonda virus
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), Shamonda virus is a vector-borne pathogen belonging to the Orthobunyavirus group. It is transmitted to animals by small biting insects.
The virus was first isolated from cattle in Nigeria in 1965 and was subsequently identified in other parts of Africa and Asia in the early 2000s.
In Europe, clinical signs of the virus in animals were reported from June 2026 and identified in late July, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The ECDC said the virus had been detected in farm animals in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, as well as Jersey.
The agency said it was working with French authorities and European partners to investigate the potential public health implications of the first reported human infection.