France Confirms First Human Shamonda Case

French ministries of Health and Agriculture said on Oct. 22, 2026 that a severely immunocompromised patient treated for an undisclosed serious condition at Hospices Civils de Lyon had the first documented human Shamonda virus infection and died in early October. They stated the brain complications before death were very likely related to the infection and that the leading hypothesis is a Culicoides midge bite in eastern France, where the virus had circulated in animals during spring and summer 2026. Based on current knowledge, they said, no health risk to the general public has been identified; the case is exceptional. Shamonda, an Orthobunyavirus transmitted by biting midges and first detected in Nigeria in the mid-1960s, mainly affects cattle; France also reported sporadic infections in small ruminants and equines in summer 2026. ECDC registered cases in more than 10 European countries and said it is monitoring the situation while working with member states on response planning. Clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological investigations continue with WHO and ECDC on whether the virus caused or contributed to the death and how infection was acquired; the specific Culicoides species remains unknown.