France confirms first human case of Shamonda virus after patient's death

French health authorities announced on October 22, 2026, that a patient had become the first person ever confirmed to be infected with Shamonda virus (SHAV), a pathogen that until now had only been documented in farm animals. The patient died in early October 2026 while being treated at the Hospices Civils de Lyon in eastern France, according to Euronews, which cited French officials.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in an official statement that the patient had a serious underlying illness that made them "more susceptible to infection and complications than the general population." Investigations into whether SHAV caused or contributed to the death, and how exactly the infection was acquired, are ongoing, the agency said.

What is known about the case

According to Euronews, doctors observed brain complications in the patient before death that were, in the words of French authorities, "very likely linked to the Shamonda virus infection." Officials have not publicly disclosed the patient's age, sex, or the exact nature of the illness that had compromised their immune system.

Investigators suspect the person was infected through the bite of a Culicoides midge in eastern France, a region where the virus has been circulating among cattle and other livestock since spring and summer 2026, Euronews and the Jerusalem Post reported. The ECDC said the specific midge species involved in the human case has not been identified.

How the virus spreads and where it has been found

Shamonda virus is an orthobunyavirus that normally spreads between animals through bites from infected Culicoides midges, the ECDC said. It mainly affects cattle but has also been detected in horses, alpacas, sheep and goats. A French study cited by the Jerusalem Post found that infected dairy herds saw milk output drop by as much as 75%.

The virus was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and had previously been reported only sporadically in African and Japanese cattle, according to Euronews. It was confirmed in European livestock for the first time after cattle in southern Germany, Switzerland and eastern France showed clinical signs in June 2026, with laboratory identification following in late July, the ECDC said.

Since that initial detection, the ECDC said SHAV has been found in farm animals in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Jersey. No commercial vaccine against the virus currently exists, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Risk assessment

The ECDC said that based on current knowledge, "no health risk to the general population has been identified to date." The agency described the case as exceptional, noting that the only known human infection occurred in a patient being treated for a serious underlying illness that increased susceptibility to infection and complications.

The ECDC noted that biting midge activity typically declines in Europe as autumn progresses, which may reduce further transmission opportunities between animals and, potentially, to humans in the near term.

What happens next

The ECDC said it is coordinating with French authorities, the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to assess the public health implications of the case. The agency said it is working with the relevant EU Reference Laboratory to strengthen testing capacity and to help other member states identify any additional human cases, should they exist.

French authorities said they are continuing to investigate the precise circumstances of the infection and whether the virus was a direct cause of, or contributing factor to, the patient's death.