France confirms the first documented human Shamonda-virus infection

French health authorities reported on October 22 that a patient in Lyon receiving treatment for a serious illness and living with severe immunosuppression had been infected with Shamonda virus and died in early October. It is the first documented human infection. The virus had previously circulated mainly among cattle and other animals through Culicoides biting midges, was first detected in Nigeria in the 1960s, and appeared in European farm animals for the first time in summer 2026. Investigators currently suspect a bite in eastern France, while clinical, virological and epidemiological work continues to determine whether and how much the infection contributed to death. ECDC is coordinating with French, European and animal-health partners. With one highly exceptional case, authorities say there is currently no identified public-health risk to the general population and no basis to infer human-to-human spread.