France recorded its first human case of the Shamonda virus in a patient who subsequently passed away, but authorities assured there was no immediate risk to the general population. The virus, typically found in livestock, is believed to have been transmitted to the victim through a midge in eastern France where it had been prevalent among animals during the spring and summer, according to government officials.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that it was collaborating with French authorities to address the outbreak. The patient, who succumbed to the virus in early October, was undergoing treatment for a severe underlying condition that increased susceptibility to infection, as stated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control based in Stockholm.
The victim, a man in his 60s residing in the Lyon area, was reported by local newspaper Le Progres. The WHO in Geneva emphasized that based on current information and knowledge of related viruses’ transmission, it was an isolated case unlikely to result in wider transmission at present.
The French government reiterated that there was no identified health threat to the general population. Shamonda, which is primarily spread by biting midges and commonly affects cattle, has also been detected in horses, alpacas, sheep, and goats, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).
Symptoms in affected cattle include diarrhea, weakness, reduced appetite, and occasionally fever, leading to a significant drop in milk production on dairy farms in France. While not classified as a disease under the EU Animal Health Law, Shamonda does not currently fall under official surveillance or control measures.
Originating in Nigeria in the mid-1960s, Shamonda was first confirmed in Europe in late July after genomic testing on sick cattle in southern Germany, Switzerland, and eastern France. The virus has since been reported in several other European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and the U.K.’s Jersey.
