A virus previously found only in livestock has been detected in a person for the first time, though French officials have identified no risk to the general public.
France has reported the first documented human infection with Shamonda virus, a pathogen that until now had only been detected in animals. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shared the news on social media, confirming that the patient, who was immunocompromised, has died.
The patient was being treated for a serious illness at the Hospices Civils de Lyon and died in early October. Before their death, the patient developed brain complications that French authorities said were very likely linked to the infection. Investigators are still working to determine whether the virus caused or contributed to the death.
WHO said it is in contact with French authorities, who are collecting information on the source of infection, possible transmission routes and any risk to public health. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is also part of the investigation.
Shamonda Virus: How the Virus Spreads?
Shamonda virus mainly affects cattle, sheep, goats and horses. It is thought to spread between animals through bites from Culicoides midges, tiny flies that are common across Europe during warmer months.
Tedros noted that the patient had been in an area where the virus was circulating in animals and where Culicoides midges were present. The leading hypothesis among investigators is that the patient was infected by a midge bite in eastern France, where the virus spread among livestock during the spring and summer. The ECDC has said the midge species involved is still unknown, Euronews reported.
“Clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations are continuing,” the French Ministry of Agriculture said in its statement.
What Is Shamonda Virus?
Shamonda virus is an RNA virus belonging to the Orthobunyavirus genus and the Simbu serogroup, the same group as Schmallenberg virus, which spread through European livestock more than a decade ago. It was first detected in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and has since been reported sporadically in cattle in West, East and southern Africa, as well as in Japan.
The virus appeared in Europe for the first time this year. In early August 2026, Germany’s Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut and Switzerland’s Institute of Virology and Immunology reported a new orthobunyavirus in cattle in southern Germany and Switzerland, and France reported similar cases. Two European variants, known as SHAV-EU1 and SHAV-EU2, were later identified, the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) said.
Animal cases have since been reported in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Jersey. France also recorded sporadic infections in small ruminants and horses over the summer.
In adult cattle, the main signs are fever, lethargy and watery diarrhea. Belgium’s national public health institute, Sciensano, has noted that milk production in infected dairy cows can drop significantly. The virus can also pass from a pregnant animal to its fetus, which may lead to abortions, birth defects or weak newborns. Horses found with the virus in their brains showed neurological signs, while sheep and goats tend to have milder symptoms or none at all.
Before this case, Shamonda virus was considered unable to infect humans. AGES had stated that humans were presumed not to be susceptible based on current knowledge and comparisons with related viruses, while noting that this still needed to be confirmed through further study.
The French case is the first evidence that a human infection can occur, though it involved a patient whose immune system was severely weakened. Health officials have not reported any other suspected human cases.
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