France Reports First Human Case of Shamonda Virus in Lyon Patient
French authorities confirm first known human Shamonda virus infection in an immunocompromised Lyon patient who died in early October, saying no general public risk.
The story in focus
French health and agriculture ministries said a severely immunocompromised patient in a Lyon hospital died in early October after the first documented human infection with Shamonda virus, which mainly affects cattle and spreads via midges. Officials said there is no current risk to the public, and the ECDC is monitoring the investigation.
- First known human Shamonda virus case detected in a Lyon patient who died in early October.
- Officials described it as an exceptional case in a severely immunocompromised patient with no current public risk.
- ECDC is monitoring and investigating how the virus spread to a human, with the case reported to WHO.
What happened
French health and agriculture ministries said the first known human case of Shamonda virus was detected in a patient who died in early October. The patient was being treated for a serious illness at a Lyon hospital and had neurological complications that initial findings said were very likely linked to the virus.
The ministries described the infection as an exceptional case in a severely immunocompromised patient and said there was currently no risk to the public. They said the patient was thought to have contracted the virus through a midge bite in eastern France, where animal cases were first identified in the spring.
Virus context and response
Shamonda virus primarily affects cattle and can be spread by infected midges. Cases have also occurred in sheep, goats, alpacas and horses, but human infections were previously unheard of. The ministries said the virus had been considered non-transmissible to humans despite decades of circulation in Africa and Asia.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said it was monitoring the situation and working with French and European partners to investigate the potential public health implications. The agency said the specific midge species involved is still unknown. The case has been reported to the World Health Organization, and clinical, laboratory and epidemiological investigations are ongoing.
Has Shamonda virus been found in animals elsewhere in Europe?
The ECDC said the first European animal cases were identified in late July and the virus has since been detected in farm animals in several countries, including Ireland, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Sources & further reading
- First human case of Shamonda virus detected in France, officials say ↗BBC
- First human case of animal virus Shamonda confirmed in France ↗Euronews.com
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