France records first human case of Shamonda virus, a bug first found in Nigeria
- French authorities say a severely immunocompromised patient died this month after the first human detection of Shamonda virus.
- The virus was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and has now reached cattle in 14 European countries.
- Paris says no risk to the general public has been identified and investigations continue.
French health and agriculture officials say the Shamonda virus, long known as a livestock infection, has turned up in a person for the first time. The patient, described as severely immunocompromised and already in hospital for a serious medical condition, died earlier this month.
The two ministries announced the finding in a joint statement on Thursday. They said no danger to the wider public has been found so far and described the infection as an unusual one-off in a patient whose immune system was badly weakened.
For Nigerians, the name may look familiar. According to the French authorities, Shamonda virus was first identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s. Since then it has been reported in cattle in several parts of Africa and in Japan.
How the patient was infected
Shamonda belongs to the Orthobunyavirus group, a family of viruses usually spread to animals by small biting insects. Officials believe the patient was bitten by a midge in eastern France, where the virus was moving among animals during spring and summer.
Preliminary findings suggest the neurological problems seen in the patient before death were very likely caused by the infection. The ministries stressed that clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations are still ongoing.
The virus was first detected in Europe at the end of July, including on cattle farms in France. France's national research institute for animal health now lists 14 western European countries where it has been found. Cattle are the main hosts, though there have also been occasional cases in smaller livestock and horses in France this summer.
In cattle, the signs include severe diarrhoea, fever, tiredness and a fall in milk production. The World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have been notified.
What happens next
The French authorities say clinical, biological and epidemiological investigations are still ongoing. They have not identified a health risk to the general public at this time.
Livestock farmers here will be watching closely, given the virus's Nigerian origin and its effect on milk output in cattle.
