First human case of Shamonda virus reported in France

French health authorities have confirmed the world’s first human case of the Shamonda virus, an insect-borne pathogen typically affecting cattle. A severely immunocompromised patient, who was hospitalized in Lyon for an unrelated serious condition, died in early October. Medical experts have linked the neurological complications observed in the patient prior to their death to the viral infection.

The virus is primarily transmitted through the bite of Culicoides midges, which have been circulating among livestock in eastern France throughout the spring and summer of 2026. While the virus has been known since the 1960s—with documented cases in Africa and Japan—it was previously considered incapable of infecting humans. Authorities state that this represents an exceptional occurrence tied to the patient's vulnerable immune status and poses no current risk to the general population.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing, involving both the French Ministries of Health and Agriculture and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Officials are currently focusing on the transmission dynamics to ensure continued containment and public safety.