GIS issued an announcement regarding the first case of detection of the Shamond virus in a human

The first human infection with Shamonda virus occurred in France. The 60-year-old infected patient died in early October, probably as a result of complications caused by this pathogen. The GIS issued a statement in which it reported that this was a single case and concerned a chronically ill person with a very severely weakened immune system. According to the French sanitary services, this does not pose a threat to the health of the general population.

The Chief Sanitary Inspector, together with the Chief Veterinary Officer, constantly monitors the epidemiological situation in Poland and around the world, and is also in constant contact with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The risk of disease spread or epidemic is low. According to the declarations of the French side, as well as the assessment of the WHO, this is a single and isolated case - informed the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspectorate.

What is Shamond virus?

According to GIS, the virus spreads through midges, which transmit it between animals. The virus was first isolated from cattle in Nigeria in 1965. Since then, its occurrence has been reported in animals in African countries and Japan.

In Europe, the virus was first detected in cattle in southern Germany and Switzerland in June this year. Since then, it has been found in dairy cows and horses in Western Europe, including Austria, Belgium and France.