French health authorities said Thursday (October 22, 2026) that the Shamonda virus, which usually affects livestock , had been detected in a human for the first time, in a severely immunocompromised patient who died earlier this month.
It has now been detected in 14 western European countries, according to an epidemiological bulletin from France’s national research institute monitoring animal health.
It added that the human infection appeared to be “an exceptional case involving a severely immunocompromised patient” hospitalised for a serious medical condition. “The neurological complications observed in the immunocompromised patient prior to his death are very likely linked to infection with the Shamonda virus,” they added, citing preliminary findings.
An investigation is ongoing, and both the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have been notified.
