Shamonda Virus In France: First Human Case Ends In Patient’s Death

French authorities have reported the first known human case of the Shamonda virus (Shav), after a patient with a severely weakened immune system died in early October. The infection, previously known to affect animals, is being investigated by health officials, who have said the case currently poses no risk to the wider public.

The French health and agriculture ministries said the patient was being treated for a serious illness at a hospital in Lyon and had developed neurological complications considered “very likely linked” to the virus, according to initial findings. Authorities suspect the patient contracted the virus through a midge bite in eastern France, where animal infections were first identified in the spring. The exact species of midge involved has not yet been established.

Investigators are also examining whether the virus caused or contributed to the patient's death.

The patient’s weakened immune system was cited as a factor that may have increased their vulnerability to the infection. Officials described it as an “exceptional case in a severely immunocompromised patient”.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is working with French and European partners to investigate how the infection occurred and assess its potential public health implications, BBC reported.

"Until now, the Shamonda virus was considered non-transmissible to humans," the official statement said, noting that infections had previously been identified in animals but not people, "despite decades of circulation of the Shamonda virus in Africa and Asia".

Virus detected in farm animals across Europe

The Shamonda virus primarily affects cattle and spreads through the bites of infected midges. Infected cattle can develop fever and diarrhoea, while dairy herds may experience a decline in milk production. Infections have also been recorded in sheep, goats, alpacas and horses.

The ECDC said the first cases of the virus in Europe were identified in late July. Since then, infections have been detected in farm animals in Ireland, Germany, Italy and Spain, as well as in Jersey. The human case has also been reported to the World Health Organisation.

BBC reported that European health authorities are continuing to monitor the situation as investigations into the human infection proceed. French officials have said no risk to the general public has been identified.