France reports first human Shamonda virus infection

French authorities reported the first documented human infection with Shamonda virus on October 22, after the virus was detected in a severely immunocompromised patient who died in early October. The patient had been receiving treatment for a serious illness in Lyon. The health and agriculture ministries said no risk to the general public had been identified at the time of their announcement. The ministries said preliminary findings indicate that neurological complications the patient experienced before death were very likely linked to the infection. They have not determined whether Shamonda virus caused or contributed to the death. Clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations are continuing. Authorities’ leading hypothesis is that the patient was infected by a biting midge in eastern France, where the virus circulated among animals during spring and summer 2026. The suspected route and location have not been confirmed. The ministries described the case as exceptional because the patient was severely immunocompromised. Shamonda belongs to the Orthobunyavirus group and is typically transmitted among animals by small biting insects, including midges. Before this case,...