In brief
Police and health officials in France say a severely immunocompromised patient died in October after contracting Shamonda virus (Shav) from a midge bite. The outbreak, first detected in European cattle in July, now shows the virus can infect humans. No evidence of human-to-human spread has been found, and the public risk is considered low. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is monitoring the situation while the World Health Organization has been notified.
The first confirmed human case of the Shamonda virus (Shav) was reported by French health authorities in early October, following the death of a severely immunocompromised patient.
Shav, a disease that mainly attacks cattle and other livestock, has now been shown to be capable of infecting people, a development that surprised scientists and public‑health officials alike.
The patient, who was receiving treatment for a serious illness in a Lyon hospital, suffered neurological complications that experts linked to the virus. Investigators believe a bite from an infected midge transmitted the virus to the patient.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), there is currently no evidence of human-to-human transmission and the risk to the general public remains low.
The virus had first appeared in European livestock in late July, and has since been detected in cattle, sheep, goats and horses across several countries, including Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Channel island of Jersey.
Both French ministries of health and agriculture have opened a joint investigation, while the World Health Organization has been notified. Authorities are working to assess the potential public‑health implications and to ensure that farmers in affected regions can protect their herds from the disease.
