Europe Has Reported Its First Case Of The Shamond Virus In A Human
- 25.10.2026, 10:58
An investigation is underway into an unusual case.
The first case of human infection with the Chamond virus recorded in France does not pose a widespread threat to Europeans, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), as reported by Euronews.
European public health authorities should take into account the first confirmed case of human infection with the Shamonda virus in France, but should not “give in to panic,” the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a statement to Euronews, as the investigation into the circumstances of the patient’s death continues.
French authorities confirmed on Thursday that the Shamonda virus was detected in a patient in Lyon who died in early October. This is the first recorded case of human infection with the virus, which had previously been detected only in animals, primarily cattle.
“This is a very special, atypical case,” Tamás Bakonyi, the ECDC’s leading expert on vector-borne diseases, zoonoses, and “One Health” issues, said in an interview with Euronews.
The patient had leukemia, and his immune system was “extremely weakened,” which made it easier for the virus to enter his body. “In people with immunodeficiency, the course of viral and other infections is different than in healthy individuals,” Bakonyi explained.
According to him, it is impossible to completely rule out transmission of the virus to others; however, “this does not mean that we should be alarmed now, much less panic,” since the available data do not indicate a widespread threat.
“Studies in France have shown that a patient carried the virus for quite some time and then developed encephalitis, which led to death,” he added.
The Shamonda virus belongs to a group of viruses transmitted by biting insects, specifically sandflies.
The virus was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s. Since then, it has been sporadically reported in cattle in countries in West, East, and Southern Africa, as well as in Japan.
This summer, the virus was also detected in Western Europe. Cases of infection in animals have been reported in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland, as well as on the island of Jersey.
The investigation is ongoing
Although no cases of human infection with this virus had been previously recorded, according to Baconi, experts and public health institutions in European countries had already been studying whether it is capable of causing infections in humans.
“This is a warning sign, a cause for caution, but we have already seen a similar situation,” Baconi noted. He added that millions of people live in regions where the virus circulates, and until now it has never been considered a problem for humans.
“We cannot rule out the possibility that the virus could spread among other people, and that is precisely the cause for concern. That is why large-scale studies are currently underway to clarify all aspects of the situation,” he said.
These include clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological studies designed to determine whether the virus was the direct cause of the patient’s death or contributed to it, as well as how the infection occurred.
As part of this work, in particular, researchers are testing for the presence of antibodies in people who may have come into contact with the virus—such as veterinarians and farmers—to determine whether they might have been asymptomatic carriers of the infection.
This case clearly illustrates how closely animal and human health are linked. That is why the ECDC, in collaboration with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), uses a “One Health” approach, bringing together experts from the fields of veterinary medicine and human medicine. They have begun gathering scientific data and other relevant information, including expert opinions from various countries, to prepare a risk assessment.