France reports the first recorded human case of Shamonda virus

27 October 2026

A patient in France died after being infected with Shamonda virus, the first recorded human case of the disease. The virus is mainly found in livestock, especially cattle, sheep, goats, horses and alpacas, and is thought to be spread by the bites of Culicoides midges, though the World Health Organization says further studies are needed to understand how it is transmitted. The World Organisation for Animal Health says there are no commercially available vaccines against the virus. The French health and agriculture ministries said the patient was immunocompromised and had been in an area where the virus was circulating among animals and where the midges were present, and that no health risk to the general public has been identified so far. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency is working with French authorities to establish the route of infection.