France confirms first human death linked to livestock Shamonda virus
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In brief
French health authorities confirmed on 22 October 2026 that a severely immunocompromised man who died in early October in Lyon carried the first documented human infection with Shamonda virus, a pathogen previously known only in livestock. Officials and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) say no risk to the general public has been identified so far.
France's Health and Agriculture Ministries announced on 22 October 2026 that a patient who died earlier that month in Lyon had been infected with Shamonda virus (SHAV), marking the first time the virus has been documented in a human being. The virus had previously circulated only among livestock.
What happened
The patient was a severely immunocompromised person hospitalised in Lyon, in eastern France. According to the ministries, the person died in early October 2026. French authorities described the case as exceptional because it occurred in a patient whose weakened immune system made them more susceptible to infection and complications than the general population.
Despite circulating in Africa and Asia for several decades, the Shamonda virus has never previously been detected in humans.
— French Health and Agriculture Ministries, as cited by The Local France
How the infection likely occurred
Investigators believe the patient was infected through a bite from a Culicoides midge, a small biting insect, in eastern France, a region where Shamonda virus had been circulating among livestock during spring and summer 2026. Cerebral complications were observed in the patient before death, and clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations are continuing to determine whether the virus caused or contributed to the death.
What is Shamonda virus
Shamonda virus belongs to the Orthobunyavirus group and is transmitted among animals by Culicoides biting midges. It was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and has since been reported sporadically in cattle across West, East and southern Africa, as well as in Japan, without any previously documented human case. In livestock, the virus mainly affects cattle and can also infect sheep, goats and horses, causing fever, diarrhoea, lethargy, reduced milk production and reproductive problems such as abortions and malformations. No vaccine against the virus currently exists.
Shamonda virus: key dates
Period
Event
Mid-1960s
Virus first identified in Nigeria, affecting cattle
June 2026
First clinical signs reported in European farm animals
Late July 2026
Virus formally identified in Western Europe, including France
Spring–summer 2026
Virus circulates among livestock in eastern France
Early October 2026
Immunocompromised patient dies in Lyon
22 October 2026
French ministries and ECDC confirm first documented human infection
Spread in Europe and public health response
Since its detection in European farm animals in mid-2026, Shamonda virus has been reported in livestock in a group of Western European countries that, depending on the source, includes Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, as well as the island of Jersey; some reports put the total count at 14 countries. In France specifically, animal cases had been identified across dozens of départements by mid-October 2026.
The ECDC said it is working with the relevant EU Reference Laboratory to strengthen testing capacity and offer additional support to member states to identify any other potential cases. The World Health Organization has also been notified, according to French reporting.
Both the French ministries and the ECDC have stressed that, based on current knowledge, no health risk to the general population has been identified at this stage. Authorities also noted that biting-midge activity typically declines as temperatures fall in autumn, which may limit further transmission risk in the coming weeks.
Questions
What is Shamonda virus?
It is an Orthobunyavirus spread among animals by Culicoides biting midges, first identified in Nigeria in the 1960s and previously reported only in cattle, sheep, goats and horses in Africa and Japan before appearing in European livestock in 2026.
How did the patient in France get infected?
French investigators believe the person was infected through the bite of a Culicoides midge in eastern France, where the virus had been circulating among livestock during spring and summer 2026.
Can Shamonda virus spread between humans?
No human-to-human transmission has been reported. Authorities describe this as an isolated case in a severely immunocompromised patient and say the virus had never before been documented infecting a person.
Is there a risk to the general public?
French health authorities and the ECDC say that, based on current knowledge, no health risk to the general population has been identified at this stage of the investigation.
Which countries have reported Shamonda virus in animals?
Reports cite livestock cases in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the island of Jersey, with some sources counting up to 14 affected European countries.
How the world is telling it
SpanishSpanish-language outlets such as Infobae and Libertad Digital framed the case around the ECDC's confirmation that this is the first known human transmission of Shamonda virus, emphasising that no vaccine exists and detailing the scale of livestock detections across dozens of French départements.
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