France reports first human case of Shamonda virus in immunocompromised patient

French health authorities have confirmed the first-ever human case of the Shamonda virus, a livestock disease previously thought incapable of infecting humans, according to PBS NewsHour World and DW English.

The virus was detected in a severely immunocompromised patient treated in Lyon, who died in early October. French health and agriculture ministries described this as an exceptional case and stated no public health risk has been identified for the general population.

Shamonda virus is transmitted to animals by biting midges and has been known to affect livestock such as cattle, horses, alpacas, sheep, and goats. It was first identified in Nigeria in the 1960s and has been reported sporadically in Africa and Japan, with recent detection in European cattle farms this summer, France 24 reported.

The patient likely contracted the virus through a midge bite in eastern France, where the virus was circulating among animals during spring and summer. Preliminary findings suggest neurological complications in the patient were linked to the Shamonda virus infection.

International health bodies, including the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, have been notified. WHO indicated the case is isolated and unlikely to lead to wider spread at this time, DW English reported.