For the first time in France, Shamonda virus, which usually affects livestock and is transmitted through the bites of small midges of the Culicoides genus, has been detected in a human.
The patient, who was suffering from severely compromised immunity, died in early October at a hospital in Lyon.
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A joint statement from France’s Ministries of Health and Agriculture described the case as exceptional because, although the virus has circulated in Africa and Asia for several decades, no human infections had been reported until now.
The case was recorded in eastern France, where the virus circulates among animals during the spring and summer. Authorities said the patient had developed cerebral complications before death, which may be linked to the infection.
However, French authorities stress that current knowledge of the virus does not indicate any risk to the health of the general population.
To further clarify the case and the possible link between the virus and the complications, authorities have launched clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations, applying the “One Health” approach, which considers the connection between human, animal and environmental health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have been informed of the case.
Shamonda virus was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s; since then, it has occasionally been reported in livestock in West, East and Southern Africa, as well as in Japan.
During the summer of this year, the virus was also detected in Europe, including France, among cattle herds. Sporadic infections have also been identified in small ruminants and horses.
Among the animal species that can become infected, cattle are considered the virus’s primary host.
Although this is the first confirmed human case, French authorities emphasize that there is currently no evidence of a general risk to the population, while investigations into the reported case continue.
