- Virologist Prof. Tomasz Dzieciątkowski assesses that the risk to humans associated with the Shamonda virus is currently close to zero, as there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
- French public health authorities have reported the first-ever case of a human infection with the Shamonda virus, and an investigation is to establish its role in the patient’s death.
- The expert stresses that infection requires a vector—biting midges—and that there is no evidence of a mutation in the Shamonda virus enabling it to infect humans.
He also noted that, contrary to media speculation, there is no evidence that the Shamonda virus has mutated in a way that would allow it to infect humans.
French public health authorities reported the first-ever human infection with the Shamonda virus on Thursday, 22 October. The patient was seriously ill and severely immunocompromised, and an investigation is currently underway to assess whether the infection was the primary cause of death or contributed to it to some extent.
“In my view, the current threat posed to humans by the Shamonda virus is close to zero. First, even in its natural host, cattle, the virus is not transmitted from one animal to another. The same is most likely true in humans—we have no evidence that it is transmitted directly from person to person,” said Dr. habil. Tomasz Dzieciątkowski from the Department and Division of Medical Microbiology at the Medical University of Warsaw.
Is the Shamonda virus transmitted from person to person?
He added that a vector is essential for this, namely blood-sucking midges from the biting midge family, which resemble black flies.
“Until now, humans had never been infected with this virus at all, just as with other similar viruses. So far, this is the only such case,” the virologist emphasized. As an example, he cited the Schmallenberg virus, which is transmitted by the same insects and causes disease in ruminants (including sheep and cows). It has been a problem in veterinary medicine for more than a dozen years, but until now there has been no case of it infecting a human.
“It should also be emphasized that the patient infected with the Shamonda virus had multiple illnesses and immune system dysfunctions. Therefore, we cannot and must not extrapolate from this single case to the entire population, especially since we do not know when or how the person became infected,” he explained Prof. Tomasz Dzieciątkowski.
SHAV virus in Europe: detections in cattle and no evidence of mutation
In August 2026, it was detected for the first time in the German Friedrich Loeffler Institute a new strain of the Shamonda virus in cattle in Germany (Baden-Württemberg), as well as in Switzerland and France.
Contrary to media speculation, there is no evidence that the Shamonda virus has mutated in a way that would infect humans, stressed Prof. Tomasz Dzieciątkowski.
Shamonda virus (SHAV virus) belongs to the RNA viruses of the genus Orthobunyavirus and the family Peribunyaviridae, Simbu serogroup. The virologist recalled that the first isolation of this virus took place in Nigeria in 1965.
– Cases of mild infections in cattle occurred in Africa, and less frequently in Japan. They most often presented with:
- fever,
- weakness,
- loss of appetite,
- diarrhea
- lactation disorders in dairy cattle.
He emphasized that the biggest problem was infections in pregnant cows. They could suffer spontaneous abortions and stillbirths, and their offspring could have certain congenital defects (such as joint stiffness and brain malformations).
What does the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) say about Shamonda virus (SHAV)?
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), in late 2026, the SHAV virus was detected in livestock in Europe for the first time. Clinical signs in animals began to be recorded in June, and the virus itself was identified in late July. Since then, it has been detected in livestock in:
- Austria,
- Belgium,
- France,
- Germany,
- Ireland,
- Italy,
- Liechtenstein,
- Luxembourg,
- the Netherlands,
- Portugal,
- Spain
- and Switzerland,
- on the island of Jersey.
– It should be noted, however, that—contrary to what the media are reporting—there is no evidence that the Shamonda virus has mutated in a way that would infect humans, concluded Prof. Tomasz Dzieciątkowski.
