France reports first human death from livestock virus Shamonda
French authorities reported the first human case of Shamonda virus, usually found in livestock, after a patient died in early October. The victim, a man in his 60s, was bitten by a midge carrying the virus in eastern France. Officials say there is no risk to the general population.
France on Thursday reported the first human case of the Shamonda virus, a pathogen usually found in livestock, after a patient later died. Authorities said there was no risk to the general population at this stage.
The government said in a statement that it was suspected the victim was bitten by a midge carrying the virus in eastern France, where it had circulated among animals this spring and summer. The patient died in early October and had been receiving treatment for a serious illness that made them more susceptible to infection than the general population, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said in a statement.
Local newspaper Le Progres reported the victim was a man in his 60s living in the Lyon area. The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) said it was in contact with French authorities about the outbreak. "Based on current information and knowledge of the transmission of closely related viruses, this is an isolated human case and it is unlikely to lead to wider spread at this time," the WHO said.
The French government also said no health risk to the general population had been identified.
Shamonda is transmitted by biting midges and most commonly found in cattle, though it has also been found in horses, alpaca, sheep and goats, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health. It is not classified as a disease under the EU Animal Health Law and is not subject to official surveillance or control measures.
Identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s, Shamonda was first confirmed in Europe in late July after genomic tests on sick cattle in southern Germany, Switzerland and eastern France. France's weekly animal health surveillance bulletin said it had also been detected in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and the UK's Jersey.
The virus has several effects on animals, with affected cattle showing diarrhoea, weakness, loss of appetite and, less often, fever, French animal health authorities said. A study of nine French dairy farms found milk production fell by up to 75 per cent.