France has reported its first confirmed human case of the Shamonda virus after a hospitalised patient died, prompting health authorities to assess the unusual infection. Officials have stated that the case is isolated and poses no identified risk to the general population.
The patient, a man in his 60s from the Lyon area, was hospitalised with a serious underlying condition unrelated to the virus. French health authorities said he had a severely weakened immune system. The infection is suspected to have followed a bite from an infected midge in eastern France, where the virus had circulated among animals during spring and summer.
“Based on current information and knowledge of the transmission of closely related viruses, this is an isolated human case and it is unlikely to lead to wider spread at this time,” said the Geneva-based WHO, which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies.
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Shamonda is transmitted by biting midges and is primarily associated with cattle, although infections have also been detected in horses, sheep, goats and alpacas. There have been no reported cases of transmission from cattle to humans or between humans.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is in contact with French authorities and considers wider spread unlikely based on current information and knowledge of related viruses.
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First identified in Nigeria in the 1960s, Shamonda was detected in European cattle in 2026, with genomic testing confirming its presence in Germany, Switzerland and France. Subsequent reports have identified the virus in several other European countries.
In cattle, infection can cause diarrhoea, weakness, reduced appetite and occasionally fever. A study of nine French dairy farms reported milk production declines of up to 75%.
