Shamonda Virus: France reports first human case after patient dies. What do we know a about it
A patient died in France after becoming the first person ever found to carry Shamonda virus, an infection scientists had only seen in animals. The patient was severely immunocompromised and had been undergoing treatment for a serious illness at a hospital in Lyon. Health authorities announced the case on Thursday, saying the death happened in early October.
According to the ministry, the brain complications seen in the patient before death were very likely linked to the Shamonda infection. The working theory is that the patient was infected by the bite of a Culicoides midge in eastern France, where the virus had been circulating among animals in spring and summer. Doctors and officials are still piecing the case together. For now, the health and agriculture ministries say nothing points to a risk for the wider public, and they have described the patient’s situation as highly unusual.
What is Shamonda virus?
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Shamonda virus is a vector-borne virus belonging to the genus Orthobunyavirus in the family Peribunyaviridae. It is part of the Simbu serogroup, which also includes Schmallenberg virus. Transmitted by midges, Shamonda virus was first isolated from cattle in Nigeria in 1965. For decades it has circulated in parts of Africa and Asia without a single documented human infection. Europe only came across it this summer, when it showed up on cattle farms. Cattle are seen as its main host.
The outbreaks in Europe in 2026 have been shown to be caused by two different variants of the virus, designated as Shamonda virus Europe 1 (SHAV-EU1) and Shamonda virus Europe 2 (SHAV-EU2).
How it spreads and what it does
The virus is carried by midges, much like the Schmallenberg and bluetongue viruses. In animals, it can cause fever, diarrhoea, loss of appetite and a fall in milk yield. It can also cause abortions and birth defects in newborn calves, lambs and kids. In the first affected herds studied in France, milk output dropped by 15 to 75 percent.
Vets say the virus can only be found in an animal’s blood for a few days after infection, which is why testing is done on animals in the acute phase. Abortions appear around three to four weeks after the initial infection. There is currently no vaccine or treatment.
According to recent reports, the virus is most commonly reported in cattle, but there have also been cases in horses, alpaca, sheep and goats.
Does Shamonda virus affect humans?
Shamonda virus has historically not been recognised as a cause of disease in humans. However, knowledge of its zoonotic potential remains limited, particularly for the variants circulating in Europe.
What is still unknown
One case is not enough to establish how easily the virus can infect people, or whether it can pass from one person to another. Scientists are still gathering evidence on how it behaves.