French authorities confirmed the first documented human infection with Shamonda virus in a severely immunocompromised patient who later died, and reported no evidence that the virus had spread between people or posed a wider public health risk.
The patient was receiving treatment for a serious condition affecting the nervous system at a Lyon hospital. The patient died in early October. Authorities were notified of the infection on October 7.
Tests detected the virus in several samples from the patient’s body, confirming the infection. Before this case, Shamonda had been documented in animals, not people, and was considered unable to infect humans. Shamonda mainly affects livestock.
It is thought to spread between animals through bites from small biting insects called Culicoides midges. French investigators consider a bite from an infected midge the most likely explanation for the patient’s infection. However, the way the patient was infected has not been confirmed.
The specific insect species is unknown. Investigations are continuing to find out how the patient was infected and whether the virus caused or contributed to the death. French authorities say problems affecting the patient’s nervous system before death were likely linked to the infection.
Shamonda was first detected in European farm animals in summer 2026. Since then, it has been identified in livestock in multiple European countries. Health officials are monitoring the situation.
They say current evidence indicates no risk to the general population.