Isophoric News · Thursday, October 22, 2026
France reports the first human case of Shamonda virus and says there is no health risk
French health authorities said Thursday that the Shamonda virus, which usually affects livestock, had been detected in a human for the first time, in a severely immunocompromised patient who died earlier this month at a Lyon hospital, according to The Hindu and Al Jazeera. The Health and Agriculture Ministries said in a joint statement that there is "no health risk to the general public identified at this time" and called it "an exceptional case." The patient is believed to have been infected through a midge bite in eastern France, where the virus circulated in animals this spring and summer, and the ministries said neurological complications before the death are "very likely linked" to the infection, with investigations ongoing. The virus was first detected in Europe in late July, and the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have been notified, The Hindu reported.
