Overview
French health authorities announced the first confirmed human case of the Shamonda virus in France on Thursday. The patient, who later died, is believed to have been infected after being bitten by a midge carrying the virus in eastern France - an area where Shamonda had been active among livestock during the spring and summer months, according to a government statement.
Patient details and official responses
The patient died in early October. European and international health agencies have described the person as having had a serious pre-existing illness that likely increased susceptibility to infection. The Stockholm-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said the individual had been receiving treatment for a serious condition that made them more vulnerable than the general population. Local reporting identified the victim as a man in his 60s living in the Lyon area.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is in contact with French authorities about the situation. The WHO also commented that, based on current information and knowledge of related viruses, this appears to be an isolated human infection and is unlikely to trigger wider spread at this time. The French government similarly stated that no health risk to the general population has been identified.
How Shamonda spreads and animal impact
Shamonda is transmitted by biting midges and is most commonly detected in cattle. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) notes the virus has also been found in horses, alpacas, sheep and goats. Animal health authorities in France described a range of symptoms observed in cattle infected with Shamonda, including diarrhoea, weakness, loss of appetite and, less frequently, fever.
In a targeted study of nine dairy farms in France, milk production on impacted farms fell by as much as 75 percent. This provides a concrete example of the virus's potential economic effect on affected agricultural operations.
Surveillance status and geographic spread in Europe
Shamonda is not listed as a disease under the European Union Animal Health Law and therefore is not subject to official surveillance or control measures at EU level. The virus was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and was confirmed in Europe in late July after genomic tests on sick cattle in southern Germany, Switzerland and eastern France.
France's weekly animal health surveillance bulletin reported the virus had subsequently been detected in a broader set of locations across Europe. Those jurisdictions include Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and the UK dependency of Jersey, in addition to the earlier reports from Germany, Switzerland and eastern France.
Current stance and next steps
At present, health authorities are treating the human case as isolated and have not identified a public health risk. International coordination between the WHO and French officials is ongoing. National animal health agencies continue to monitor and report detections in livestock populations.
Note - Public statements from the WHO, the ECDC and French government agencies are the basis for the facts reported here. The available information emphasizes an isolated human case in a person with pre-existing serious illness and the known circulation of Shamonda among livestock in parts of Europe.