ByREUTERSOCTOBER 22, 2026 11:56

French health authorities said they had detected the Shamonda virus, which usually affects livestock, in a human for the first time, in a patient who later died, and added that they saw no risk to the general population at this stage.

Shamonda virus is an insect-borne Orthobunyavirus that primarily affects livestock, particularly cattle, and is transmitted by biting midges.

First identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s, it has since been detected sporadically in animals in Africa and Japan.

It is possible to completely get rid of the virus
It is possible to completely get rid of the virus (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)

Shamonda virus spreads among European countries

It has been spreading among several European countries this year.

The French government said the virus had until now been considered non-transmissible to humans.

The leading hypothesis is that the patient may have been infected in eastern France, where the virus circulated among animals during spring and summer 2026.

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Source: The Jerusalem Post · REUTERS

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