A patient died in early October from the Shamonda virus, marking the first such case in France and the world, the French government announced today, adding that there is currently no health risk to the general population, according to the British agency Reuters.
“The Shamonda virus is an orthobunyavirus transmitted to animals by the bite of Culicoides midges, first discovered in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and sporadically reported in cattle in West, East, and Southern Africa, as well as in Japan,” stated the French Ministries of Health and Agriculture.
The virus was identified for the first time in Europe this summer, including in France, on livestock farms.
Cattle are considered the primary animal species that can be infected. Sporadic cases of infection in small ruminants and equines were also identified this summer in France, the statement said.
Authorities added that the Shamonda virus was previously considered non-transmissible to humans, noting that until now, no human cases have been documented despite several decades of virus circulation.
“This is therefore an exceptional case occurring in a patient with severe immunodeficiency,” the statement said, adding that an investigation is ongoing.
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