LYON, France | October 22, 2026 | France has reported the first documented human infection with Shamonda virus, a disease previously known to affect animals, after a severely immunocompromised patient died in early October. French authorities and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) are investigating how the infection occurred and whether the virus caused or contributed to the death.
The patient was receiving treatment for a serious illness at the Hospices Civils de Lyon hospital in Lyon, according to French health authorities. The leading hypothesis is that the infection was transmitted by the bite of a Culicoides biting midge in eastern France, where the virus had circulated among livestock during the spring and summer. Investigations remain ongoing.
The French government said no public health risk to the general population has been identified based on current knowledge. However, the case has prompted closer monitoring because no human infection had previously been documented despite decades of the virus circulating among animals in Africa and Asia.
The ECDC said on October 22 that it was working with French authorities and European partners to assess the potential public health implications. The agency is also coordinating efforts to strengthen laboratory testing and help identify any additional human cases.
Shamonda virus, a member of the Orthobunyavirus group, was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s. According to France’s Ministry of Agriculture, it had been reported sporadically in livestock in parts of Africa and Japan before its emergence in European cattle farms in 2026. The virus is primarily transmitted among animals through infected biting midges, with cattle considered its main hosts.
The virus was identified in European farm animals in late July and has since been detected in multiple countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, as well as Liechtenstein and Jersey, according to the ECDC. French authorities have also reported infections in some sheep and horses.
The emergence of the virus in Europe has raised concerns for animal health and the need for surveillance, although French agricultural authorities previously described its impact on affected livestock farms as limited. The first human case represents a significant development because the virus had not previously been documented in people.
Health authorities continue to investigate the patient’s infection and the circumstances surrounding the death. While the case warrants scientific attention, officials have emphasized that current evidence does not indicate a health threat to the general population.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
