Shamonda virus confirmed in a human for the first time, French officials report
French authorities report the first human Shamonda virus infection, in an immunocompromised Lyon patient who later died, with no general population risk identified.
Event / Health
Shamonda Virus Human Infection France
On 22 October 2026, French health and agriculture ministries announced the first documented human infection with the Shamonda virus, an orthobunyavirus normally found in animals and transmitted by Culicoides midges. The severely immunocompromised patient, hospitalized in Lyon, died in early October 2026, and investigations indicate the infection likely caused the observed neurological complications. The suspected transmission route is a midge bite in eastern France, where the virus was identified in cattle, small ruminants and equids in summer 2026. Authorities state no risk to the general population has been identified to date, investigations are ongoing, and France notified the WHO and ECDC.
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2026-10-22 to 2026-10-26 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 22 Oct, 09:53 UTC
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What happened
Shamonda virus first detected in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and sporadically found in cattle in Africa and Japan
The Shamonda virus, an orthobunyavirus transmitted to animals by biting Culicoides midges, was first detected in Nigeria in the mid-1960s. It has since been reported sporadically in cattle in West, East and Southern Africa and in Japan.
Suspected infection route is mosquito-like midge bite in eastern France
The working hypothesis is vector-borne transmission through the bite of a Culicoides midge in eastern France, a region where Shamonda virus circulation in animals was reported in spring and summer 2026.
Shamonda virus first identified in Europe in cattle farms in summer 2026
In summer 2026, the Shamonda virus was identified for the first time in Europe, including in France, in cattle farms. Sporadic infections in small ruminants and equids were also identified in France during the same summer. Cattle are considered the main host species among animals that can be infected.
Shamonda virus detected in a human for the first time
The Shamonda virus, an orthobunyavirus normally found in animals, was detected for the first time in a human. The case is a severely immunocompromised patient hospitalized at the Hospices civils de Lyon for a serious illness. Before this case, the virus was considered non-transmissible to humans, and no human case had been documented in decades of circulation in Africa and Asia.
French health and agriculture ministries publicly disclosed the human Shamonda case on 22 October 2026
The French ministries of health and agriculture issued a joint communiqué on Thursday 22 October 2026 announcing the human Shamonda virus infection and death in Lyon.
Health authorities identify no current health risk to the general population
French health authorities state that, based on current knowledge of the Shamonda virus, no health risk to the general population has been identified to date. The authorities describe the case as exceptional and linked to a severely immunocompromised patient.
Clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations of the Shamonda human case are ongoing
Clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations into the human Shamonda virus case in Lyon are still in progress as of 22 October 2026.
Immunocompromised patient in Lyon died in early October 2026 after Shamonda virus infection
A patient with severe immunodeficiency and a serious underlying condition died in early October 2026 at the Hospices civils de Lyon. The patient had been infected with the Shamonda virus. Investigations indicate that the neurological complications observed before death were very likely caused by the infection.
France notified WHO and ECDC of the human Shamonda case
French health authorities notified the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control of the human Shamonda virus detection.
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