France has reported the first known human infection with the Shamonda virus, a disease previously identified in animals, after an infected patient died earlier this month.
French authorities said on Thursday that there was currently no identified risk to the general population, while investigations continued to determine how the patient contracted the virus and whether it contributed to the death.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said it was monitoring the situation and working with French officials and other European partners to assess the potential public health implications of the case.
The patient died in early October after receiving treatment for a serious underlying illness that may have increased their vulnerability to infection, the ECDC said. Investigators are still examining the circumstances surrounding the infection and the possible role of the virus in the patient’s death.
Authorities believe the infection may have occurred in eastern France, where Shamonda virus circulated among animals during the spring and summer.
The virus is primarily associated with livestock, particularly cattle, and is transmitted through the bites of infected midges. It has also been detected in horses, alpacas, sheep and goats, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).
First identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s, Shamonda virus was confirmed in Europe for the first time in late July following genomic testing on sick cattle in southern Germany, Switzerland and eastern France.
France’s weekly animal health surveillance bulletin has also reported detections in several other European locations, including Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Jersey in the United Kingdom.
The discovery of the first human case has drawn attention to the virus’s potential implications for public health, although officials have stressed that no threat to the wider population has been identified so far.
WOAH said there were currently no commercially available vaccines against Shamonda virus.
Beyond the potential health implications, the disease has also affected livestock production. A study involving nine dairy farms in France found that milk output in affected herds fell by as much as 75 per cent.
Authorities are continuing their investigations to establish how the patient became infected and whether the case signals any wider risk to humans.
