France announced Oct. 22 that Shamonda virus had been detected in a severely immunocompromised patient in Lyon, marking its first documented human detection and prompting an assessment of any wider public-health risk.
The patient had been receiving treatment for a serious illness and died in early October, French authorities said. Officials said the evidence available at this stage does not indicate a risk to the general population.
Shamonda is an orthobunyavirus first identified in Nigeria in the 1960s. Human infections had not been documented before this case, despite the virus’s long circulation in Africa and Asia. Animal reports include cattle in western, eastern and southern Africa and Japan; cattle are considered the virus’s main hosts.
The virus was detected in European farm animals for the first time in summer 2026, including in France. Small ruminants and equids have also been affected in France.
The virus generally spreads among animals through bites from Culicoides midges, a group of small biting insects. Authorities are investigating whether a midge bite in eastern France infected the patient, since the virus was circulating among animals in that region during spring and summer. Investigators have not identified the midge species.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said investigators are examining how the patient acquired the infection and whether the virus played a role in the death. ECDC is working with French authorities and European partners on the public-health assessment. It is also coordinating with a European Union reference laboratory to expand testing and help check for other potential cases.
