PARIS: French authorities have confirmed the first known human infection with the Shamonda virus (Shav) in a patient who died in early October, raising questions about the virus’s potential to infect humans.
Health officials described the infection as an exceptional case involving a severely immunocompromised patient, stressing that there was currently no risk to the general public.
The Shamonda virus primarily affects cattle and is transmitted by infected midges. Although infections have also been reported in sheep, goats, alpacas and horses, human cases had not previously been documented.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said it was monitoring the case in coordination with French and other European authorities, as investigations continued into how the virus crossed from animals to humans.
According to France’s health and agriculture ministries, preliminary findings suggest the patient may have contracted the virus through a midge bite in eastern France, where animal infections were first detected in the spring.
The patient had been receiving treatment for a serious underlying illness at a hospital in Lyon and developed neurological complications. Initial assessments indicated these complications were very likely linked to the infection, the ministries said in a statement on Thursday.
Officials emphasised that the patient’s severely weakened immune system may have increased their vulnerability to the disease.
“Until now, the Shamonda virus was considered non-transmissible to humans,” the statement said, noting that the virus had circulated among animals for decades in Africa and Asia without previously documented human infections.
In cattle, the disease can cause fever and diarrhoea and lead to reduced milk production, potentially affecting dairy farmers.
The ECDC said it was collaborating with French and European partners to assess the case and determine any potential public health implications.
The agency reported that the first cases of Shamonda virus in Europe were identified in late July. Since then, infections have been detected among farm animals in several countries, including Ireland, Germany, Italy and Spain, as well as the Channel Island of Jersey.
