France reports first Shamonda virus case in human who later died

The person died in early October and had been receiving treatment for a serious illness that made them more susceptible to the infection, the ÔÇîEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said.

The virus normally affects livestock and until now it had been considered non-transmissible to ÔÇïhumans, according to the French government.

“Investigations into whether the virus caused or contributed to the patient’s death and how the infection was acquired are ongoing,” it said in a statement.

Authorities said there is currently no risk to the general population.

It is believed to be primarily spread by Culicoides biting midges and mainly affects cattle. Shamonda has also been found in horses, alpaca, sheep and goats, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said.

It is thought the person may have been infected in the east of the country, where it had circulating among animals during the ÔÇïspring and summer this year.

Shamonda ÔÇïis an insect-borne virus and the specific midge species involved in transmission in this case is still unknown, the ÔÇîECDC added.

The virus was first identified ÔÇîin Nigeria in the mid-1960s and has been detected in animals in Africa and Japan intermittently.

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Shamonda was first confirmed in Europe in Ôüálate July after genomic tests on unwell cattle in southern Germany, Switzerland and eastern France.

It can cause fever, diarrhoea, lethargy and reduced milk production in livestock.

The virus has been spreading among several European countries this Ôüáyear, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, according to the ECDC.

The ÔÇîcentre said it is “carefully monitoring the situation”.

Dr Katherine Russell, head of emerging infections and zoonoses at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said it was aware of reports “and are in contact with the relevant authorities to assess the situation”.

She added: “The virus has not been detected in the UK to date, although it has been identified in cattle in Jersey and the Republic of Ireland.”