France reports first human case of livestock virus Shamonda after patient dies

France reported the first human case of the Shamonda virus usually found in livestock on Thursday in a hospital patient who died, though authorities added there was no risk to the general population.

It is suspected that the victim was bitten by a midge carrying the virus in eastern France where it had circulated among animals this spring and summer, the government said in a statement.

The man had been hospitalized in Lyon with an unrelated serious disease, a French health ministry official told reporters.

The victim was in his 60s and lived in the Lyon area, local newspaper Le Progres reported.

The UN’s World Health Organization said it was in contact with French authorities about the outbreak.

“Based on current information and knowledge of the transmission of closely related viruses, this is an isolated human case and it is unlikely to lead to wider spread at this time,” said the Geneva-based WHO, which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies.

“We are clearly dealing with a case that is unprecedented from a scientific and virological point of view. It is linked to this man’s severely weakened immune system,” Gregory Emery, head of France’s health directorate, told reporters.

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world