The French authorities announced the first ever reported human infection with Shamonda virus (SHAV), a disease that has until now only affected animals, according to a statement from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

The case involved “a patient receiving treatment for a serious illness that made them more susceptible to infection and complications than the general population”, according to the ECDC. The man died in early October, and France is investigating “whether the virus caused or contributed to the patient's death and how the infection was acquired”. SHAV was detected in Europe for the first time last summer, in France, and has since been identified on farms in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.