France reports the first known human case of Shamonda virus, until now seen only in animals

22 October 2026

French authorities have confirmed that a patient who died at a Lyon hospital in early October was infected with Shamonda virus, the first documented human case. Officials called it an exceptional case in a severely immunocompromised patient and said there was no risk to the public. Shamonda is an orthobunyavirus that mainly affects cattle and is spread by biting midges of the genus Culicoides. It was first detected in Nigeria in the 1960s and later reported in East and Southern Africa and in Japan. The leading hypothesis is that the patient was infected by a midge bite in eastern France. The virus was first confirmed in Europe in late July; the World Health Organization and the ECDC said they were monitoring the situation.