Shamonda virus found in a human for the first time: what the ECDC says

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is investigating the first recorded human infection with Shamonda virus (SHAV). The virus was detected in early October in a patient who was being treated for another serious illness and who later died. Until now the virus had only been found in European farm animals, so the case has sharpened attention on public safety.

What the ECDC says

The ECDC is still working to establish whether the virus caused or contributed to the patient's death, and how the person became infected. Emilie Peron, an ECDC expert in emerging and vector-borne diseases, said one human case is not enough to judge how the virus would affect the general population or people with weakened immune systems. She added that immunocompromised people face a higher risk of complications and severe disease from many infections.

Peron said diseases circulating in animals do not automatically threaten human health, and that a single human case does not mean the infection can spread efficiently between people. Each event must be assessed individually, based on the available human and animal-health evidence.

Risk assessment

The ECDC is working with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and French authorities to inform any future public health recommendations. A joint risk assessment with EFSA has begun. The centre is also working with the relevant EU Reference Laboratory to strengthen testing capacity and help member states identify any other potential cases.

The virus in farm animals

Shamonda virus was first discovered in Nigeria in the 1960s. It was first detected in European farm animals in summer 2026: clinical signs were reported from June and the virus was identified in late July. It has since been found in farm animals in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, as well as Jersey. In Ireland it was detected on two dairy farms in Co. Cork in early October. The disease is not notifiable in Ireland or the EU.

In livestock, symptoms include fever, lethargy, diarrhoea and reduced milk production.