Reuters —
France on Thursday reported its first human case of Chamonda virus, which is usually found in livestock, and a hospitalized patient died, but authorities said there was no risk to the general population.
The government said in a statement that the victim was suspected of being bitten by a midge mosquito that carries the virus, which was prevalent in animals in eastern France this spring and summer.
A French Health Ministry official told reporters the man had been hospitalized in Lyon with a serious, unrelated illness.
Local newspaper Le Progress reported that the victim was in his 60s and lived in the Lyon area.
The United Nations’ World Health Organization said it was in contact with French authorities about the outbreak.
The Geneva-based WHO, which coordinates the response to global public health problems and emergencies, said: “Based on current information and knowledge about the transmission of closely related viruses, this is an isolated human case and is unlikely to lead to wider spread at this time.”
“From a scientific and virological point of view, we are clearly dealing with an unprecedented case. It is related to the extremely weakened immune system of this man,” Gregory Emery, head of France’s health directorate, told reporters.
“From a medical and public health perspective, there is no alarm or crisis,” he added.
Shamonda is transmitted by biting midges and is most commonly found in cattle, but can also be found in horses, alpacas, sheep and goats, according to the World Animal Health Organization (WOAH).
Emery said there have been no reports of cow-to-human or human-to-human transmission.
Dr Ben Brennan, from the University of Glasgow’s Center for Virus Research, said previous cases of similar viruses also suggested that Shamonda posed a limited risk to human health.
He cited Schmallenberg virus, which affected livestock in Europe more than a decade ago but did not infect humans, and Cristrivirus, which was linked to the death of a frail patient in France but no other cases followed.
Shamonda is not classified as a disease under EU animal health law and is not subject to public surveillance or control measures.
Shamonda was identified in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and first identified in Europe in late July after genomic testing of diseased cattle in southern Germany, Switzerland and eastern France.
Infections have also been detected in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Jersey, according to France’s weekly animal health surveillance report.
According to French animal health authorities, the virus has several effects on animals, with infected cattle exhibiting diarrhea, weakness, loss of appetite and, less frequently, fever.
A study of nine dairy farms in France found that milk production had fallen by up to 75%.
