French health authorities have confirmed the world's first documented human infection with the Shamonda virus after a severely immunocompromised patient died earlier this month, while stressing that there is currently no identified health risk to the general public. Investigations are continuing to determine whether the virus caused or contributed to the patient's death.

According to a joint statement by France's health and agriculture ministries, the patient, who was receiving treatment for a serious underlying illness at the Hospices Civils de Lyon, died in early October.

Authorities said the infection represents the first officially documented human case of the Shamonda virus, which until now had only been known to infect animals. They described the case as exceptional because it involved a patient with severe immunodeficiency.

Investigations into cause of death continue

Preliminary clinical findings indicate that the neurological complications observed before the patient's death were most likely linked to the Shamonda virus infection. However, French authorities said clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations remain under way to determine the precise role the virus played in the patient's death.

Health officials believe the patient was most likely infected through the bite of a Culicoides biting midge in eastern France, where the virus had been circulating among livestock during the spring and summer of 2026.

The French government said the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) had been notified of the case. The ECDC said it was working with French authorities and other European partners to monitor the situation and assess any potential public health implications.

Virus previously affected only livestock

The Shamonda virus is an insect-borne Orthobunyavirus primarily affecting livestock, particularly cattle, and is transmitted by Culicoides biting midges.

First identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s, the virus has circulated for decades in parts of West, East and Southern Africa, as well as Japan, without any previously documented human infection. It was detected for the first time in European livestock during the summer of 2026 and has since been identified in several European countries.

French authorities reiterated that, based on current scientific knowledge, the case remains isolated and no public health risk has been identified for the wider population.(ILKHA)