22/10/2026
— France Confirms First-Ever Human Infection with Shamonda Virus, Previously only found in Animals
The first known human case of the Shamonda virus (Shav) has been detected in a patient who died in early October.
Health officials said it was an "exceptional case in a severely immunocompromised patient" and there was currently no risk to the public. Shav is a disease that primarily affects cattle and can be spread by infected midges. Cases have also occurred in sheep, goats, alpacas and horses, but infections in people were previously unheard of.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said they were monitoring the situation, with French officials still investigating how the virus had spread to a human.(QNS)