France Confirms First Human Shamonda Case After Death
WHO:
NBC News - French health directorate head Grégory Emery said the case was linked to the patient’s severely weakened immune system.
NBC News - The World Health Organization said it was in contact with French authorities about the outbreak.
CNN - The first reported human case involved a man in his 60s who lived in the Lyon area of eastern France, according to local newspaper Le Progres.
CNN - The patient had a serious illness that made him more susceptible to infection than the general population, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said.
CNN - The ECDC, based in Stockholm, said it was monitoring the situation and was in contact with French authorities and European partners.
CNN - The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) says Shamonda is most commonly found in cattle and has also been detected in horses, alpacas, sheep and goats.
NY Post - Affected cattle can show diarrhea, weakness, loss of appetite and, less often, fever.
BBC News - Shamonda usually affects cattle; the first human case was identified in a patient who died.
WHAT:
CNN - Shamonda virus may cause congenital abnormalities in newborn calves.
CNN - The World Health Organization said it plans to share updates as it learns more about the case.
CNN - Shamonda is classified as an Orthobunyavirus in the Simbu subgroup, which also includes Schmallenberg virus; outbreaks in this group tend to follow seasonal midge patterns, though European patterns may differ from those in regions where the viruses are endemic.
CNN - No treatments or vaccines for Shamonda virus are currently available.
NBC News - The WHO described the infection as “an isolated human case” unlikely to lead to wider spread “at this time.”
NBC News - Emery said, “There has been no report of cattle-to-human or human-to-human transmission.”
NBC News - Emery said, “From a medical and public health point of view, there is no alert and no crisis.”
Wired Science - Investigators are assessing whether the pathogen played a role in the patient’s death and how the infection occurred.
CNN - France reported its first human case of Shamonda, a virus usually found in livestock. The patient died, but whether the virus caused or contributed to the death remains under investigation.
CNN - French authorities said, “Based on the knowledge available regarding this virus, no health risk to the general population has been identified to date.”
CNN - ECDC said, “ECDC is in contact with the French authorities and European partners to investigate the potential public health implications.”
CNN - Shamonda is not classified as a disease under the EU Animal Health Law and is not subject to official surveillance or control measures.
CNN - A study of nine French dairy farms found milk production fell by up to 75% in affected herds.
WHERE:
NBC News - The patient was hospitalized in Lyon.
CNN - The suspected infection occurred in eastern France, where the virus had circulated among animals; the patient lived in the Lyon area.
CNN - The virus was first confirmed in Europe following genomic tests on sick cattle in southern Germany, Switzerland and eastern France. France’s weekly animal health surveillance bulletin also reported detections in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Jersey.
CNN - Shamonda was identified in Nigeria.
WHEN:
CNN - The patient died in early October.
CNN - The virus had circulated among animals in eastern France during spring and summer.
CNN - Shamonda was identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and was first confirmed in Europe in late July.
WHY:
NBC News - A French health ministry official said the patient had been hospitalized with an unrelated serious disease.
CNN - Authorities suspect the patient was infected after being bitten by a midge carrying Shamonda.
HOW:
CNN - Shamonda virus is transmitted to animals through bites from Culicoides midges, small insects similar to flies; the exact species involved is not yet known.
CNN - The virus is not known to spread between animals except from an infected animal to its fetus during pregnancy.
CNN - Shamonda cases are not required to be reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health, which encourages voluntary reporting; laboratory testing is needed to confirm animal infections because symptoms can resemble other diseases.
CNN - Shamonda is transmitted by biting midges. The investigation into how the patient acquired the infection is ongoing.
(UPDATED October 23, 2026 10:05 UTC)
France has reported its first human case of Shamonda, a virus usually found in livestock, and the patient has died. The man, who was in his 60s and lived near Lyon, had a serious underlying illness that weakened his immune system. Authorities are investigating whether the virus contributed to his death and suspect he may have been bitten by an infected midge. There is no evidence of transmission from cattle to people or between people, and officials say no risk to the general public has been identified. The World Health Organization is in contact with French authorities and describes the case as isolated, with wider spread considered unlikely at this time. Shamonda affects cattle and can cause illness, reduced milk production and abnormalities in newborn calves. It has also been detected in several other animal species and across parts of Europe. There are currently no vaccines or treatments.
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(UPDATED October 23, 2026 08:10 UTC)
France has reported its first human case of Shamonda, a virus usually found in livestock, and the patient has died. The man, who lived near Lyon, had a serious illness that weakened his immune system; investigators are still determining whether the virus contributed to his death. Authorities suspect he may have been bitten by an infected midge, but how he acquired the infection remains under investigation. French officials say there is no identified risk to the general population, and the World Health Organization describes this as an isolated case unlikely to spread more widely at this time. No cattle-to-human or human-to-human transmission has been reported. The WHO and European health officials are working with French authorities to assess the situation. Shamonda mainly affects cattle and can reduce milk production in affected herds.
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(UPDATED October 22, 2026 16:19 UTC)
France has reported its first human case of Shamonda, a virus usually found in livestock, and the patient has died. The man, who lived near Lyon in eastern France, had a serious underlying illness that made him more vulnerable to infection. Whether Shamonda caused or contributed to his death remains under investigation. Authorities suspect he may have been bitten by an infected midge, but how he acquired the virus is not yet confirmed. French officials say no risk to the general public has been identified. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is working with French authorities and European partners to assess possible public health implications. Shamonda mainly affects cattle, though it has also been found in other animals. The virus was identified in Nigeria in the 1960s and has circulated among livestock in parts of Europe.