France records first human death linked to Shamonda virus

France announced the death in early October of a severely immunocompromised patient infected with Shamonda virus, the first known human case. Authorities believe the patient was infected by a midge bite in eastern France, where the virus circulated among animals in spring and summer; neurological complications before the death were likely linked to the infection. Clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations are ongoing, but no risk to the general public has been identified. The virus, transmitted to animals by small biting insects, was detected in farm animals across several European countries in 2026.