France reports first human Shamonda virus case, patient died

France has reported the first known human infection with Shamonda virus, a virus that until now had only been found in animals, mainly cattle. The patient, a severely immunocompromised man who was being treated for a serious illness, died earlier in October, France's health and agriculture ministries said on Thursday, 22 October, France 24 and UN News reported.

French authorities said "no health risk to the general public" had been identified, and called it "an exceptional case". The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is working with France to find out how the man was infected and whether there is any wider risk.

Key points

• First recorded human case of Shamonda virus, in France; the patient died in early October.
• He was severely immunocompromised and is thought to have been bitten by an infected midge in eastern France.
• Shamonda is a livestock virus spread by tiny biting midges; it has circulated in Africa and Asia for decades.
• French authorities say no risk to the general public has been identified; WHO and the European disease agency have been notified.
• There is no commercially available vaccine, even for animals.

What happened

According to the joint statement from France's health and agriculture ministries, reported by France 24, PBS and ABC News:

• The patient was a severely immunocompromised man who had been hospitalised for a serious medical condition.
• He developed neurological complications before his death, which preliminary findings say were "very likely linked" to Shamonda infection. How much the virus contributed to his death has not been established.
• He is believed to have been infected by the bite of a midge in eastern France, where the virus was circulating among animals in the spring and summer.
• Clinical, laboratory and epidemiological investigations are continuing.

France has notified the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus offered his condolences and said the agency was working with French authorities to establish how the patient became infected, the possible routes of transmission and any risk to public health, UN News reported.

What is Shamonda virus?

Sources: France 24, UN News, World Organisation for Animal Health.

In cattle, the virus causes acute diarrhoea, fever, lethargy and a fall in milk production. A study of nine French dairy farms found milk output dropped by up to 75% in affected herds, France 24 reported.

How Shamonda reached Europe

Shamonda was first detected in Europe at the end of July 2026, including on cattle farms in France, France 24 reported. Sporadic infections in sheep, goats and horses followed over the summer, and the virus has now been found in 14 western European countries.

Midge-borne livestock viruses have spread in Europe before. Bluetongue and Schmallenberg virus, which belongs to the same wider group as Shamonda, moved across the continent in recent years, helped by warmer summers that suit midges.

Timeline

How midge-borne viruses are controlled

Culicoides midges are tiny, often just 1 to 3 millimetres long, and breed in wet soil, manure and muddy ground around farms. They are most active at dawn and dusk in warm weather. Because there is no vaccine for Shamonda, control depends on the same steps farmers use against other midge-borne livestock diseases:

• Keeping animals indoors or under cover at dawn and dusk during peak midge season.
• Using approved insect repellents and insecticides on animals and in barns.
• Reducing breeding sites by managing manure and standing water.
• Testing animals and watching herds for signs such as fever, diarrhoea and a sudden drop in milk.
• Restricting the movement of animals from affected areas when authorities require it.

For people, the advice for any insect-borne disease applies: cover up at dusk in rural areas and use insect repellent.

How worried should people be?

The short answer from health authorities is: not very, for now.

• One case, one vulnerable patient. The man was severely immunocompromised, which made him far more vulnerable to infection than the general public, UN News reported.
• No sign of spread between people. Nothing in the reports suggests the virus passed from the patient to anyone else. WHO says more studies are needed to understand how the virus is transmitted.
• Midges, not contact. The likely route was a midge bite, not contact with animals or people.

What makes the case important is that it is the first time Shamonda has been seen in a human. Scientists will want to know whether others have been infected without being diagnosed, whether the virus can cause disease in healthy people, and whether it has changed.

Why it matters for India

There is no report of Shamonda virus in India, and no reason for alarm. But the case touches India in a few ways:

• Livestock: India has the world's largest cattle population and depends on dairy for millions of rural livelihoods. Midge-borne livestock diseases such as bluetongue already circulate in parts of the country, so new viruses spread by the same insects are watched closely by animal health scientists.
• One Health: The case is another example of a virus crossing from animals to humans. India's own outbreaks of Nipah in Kerala and Kyasanur Forest Disease in Karnataka show why human and animal health surveillance need to work together.
• Travellers: Indians in France or travelling there do not need to change plans because of this case. As in any rural area in summer, insect repellent and covering up at dusk reduce bites from midges and mosquitoes.

What happens next

French scientists are investigating how the man was infected and testing whether the virus played a direct role in his death. Surveillance of animals in the affected areas is continuing, and the WHO and ECDC will assess the risk for Europe. Midge activity falls sharply in cold weather, which may reduce new infections in animals over the winter.

One case does not make an outbreak. But a first human infection, even in a single vulnerable patient, is the kind of signal health agencies are built to follow up quickly.