France Reports Rare Human Infection of Cattle Virus

France has documented the first confirmed human case of Shamonda, a cattle virus previously confined to livestock. The affected individual was a man in his 60s residing near Lyon, who was severely immunocompromised and died in early October. Health authorities suspect a midge bite in eastern France as the likely transmission route, as the virus has been circulating among animals there since spring.

Shamonda, an orthobunyavirus known since the mid-1960s, has recently been detected across 14 European countries. While typically causing symptoms like diarrhea and reduced milk production in cattle, it has also been linked to birth defects in calves and neurological issues in horses. The World Health Organization has characterized this human case as isolated, with no identified risk to the general public.