Algeria Gate: France has reported the world’s first documented human infection with the Shamonda virus after a severely immunocompromised patient died following the infection, French authorities announced on Thursday, October 22.
The patient had been receiving treatment for a serious underlying illness in Lyon and died in early October. Initial investigations suggest the infection may have been acquired through the bite of a Culicoides biting midge in eastern France, where the virus had circulated among animals during the spring and summer.
According to the French ministries of Health and Agriculture, neurological complications observed before the patient’s death were likely linked to the infection. However, investigations are still underway to determine how the virus was acquired and whether it caused or contributed to the death.
No risk identified for the general population
Despite the exceptional nature of the case, French authorities have stressed that no health risk to the general population has been identified based on current scientific knowledge.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is monitoring the situation and is working with French authorities and European partners to assess the potential public health implications. The World Health Organization has also been notified.
A virus primarily affecting livestock
The Shamonda virus belongs to the Orthobunyavirus group and is transmitted mainly by biting midges. It was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and has historically been detected in animals across parts of Africa and Asia.
The virus was identified in livestock in Europe for the first time in 2026, including in France, Germany and Switzerland. Cattle are considered its main hosts, although infections have also been detected in other animals, including horses, sheep, goats and alpacas.
The human case is the first documented worldwide. Further clinical, laboratory and epidemiological investigations are ongoing to better understand the infection and its implications.
