First Human Case of Shamonda Virus Detected in France — SkimNews
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- French health authorities confirmed the first known human case of Shamonda virus (Shav) in a patient who died in early October, calling it "exceptional" and stating there is currently no risk to the public.
- The patient was being treated for a serious illness at a Lyon hospital and experienced neurological complications "very likely linked" to the virus, with a severely weakened immune system making them vulnerable.
- France's health and agriculture ministries said the patient likely contracted Shav through a midge bite in eastern France, the same region where animal cases were first identified in the spring.
- Shamonda virus primarily affects cattle and is spread by infected midges, with documented cases also in sheep, goats, alpacas, and horses — but human infection was previously unheard of.
- The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is monitoring the situation and reported the case to the World Health Organization, working with French and European partners to investigate "potential public health implications."
- The virus was first identified in European livestock in late July and has since been detected in farm animals in Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Jersey.
Why it matters: With the ECDC and WHO now formally tracking a pathogen confirmed in livestock across at least six European countries since late July, cross-border veterinary coordination is intensifying even as officials stress there is no current public risk beyond severely immunocompromised individuals.
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