The Shamonda virus (SHAV), a mosquito-borne pathogen in the Simbu serogroup of Orthobunyavirus, has been detected in livestock in Great Britain for the first time, British authorities confirmed in October 2026.
The virus was identified at two dairy farms — one in Powys, Wales and one in Shropshire, England — after samples were collected and tested at APHA laboratories in Weybridge. This detection follows earlier reports of SHAV in European livestock during 2026, including cattle in Jersey and the Republic of Ireland. The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Welsh Government, Scottish Government and APHA stated the finding demonstrates effective surveillance and diagnostic systems for identifying new and emerging diseases in livestock. SHAV is not a notifiable or reportable disease, and no additional disease-control measures are currently required, though authorities will continue to monitor the epidemiological situation.
In a separate development, French health officials reported the first known fatal human case of Shamonda virus infection. A 61-year-old immunocompromised man undergoing treatment for leukemia at the Civil Hospital of Lyon died of encephalitis on October 9, 2026, according to a case report published in Eurosurveillance. The patient, who had undergone a stem cell transplant, showed symptoms including blindness and confusion determined to be likely caused by the virus. He fell into a coma and succumbed to the disease after life support was withdrawn. Genetic testing detected traces of Shamonda virus in the patient's cerebrospinal fluid, urine and saliva. French authorities suspect the man contracted the virus from a midge bite in eastern France, where the disease has been found in animals. The French Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture notified the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The Shamonda virus has been detected in livestock across 14 European countries. Two new clades, SHAV-EU1 and SHAV-EU2, were identified earlier in 2026. The virus is primarily transmitted by Culicoides biting midges; transmission cycles typically cease in winter when midge populations decline and temperatures fall below approximately 12 degrees Celsius. Clinical signs in infected animals include fever, diarrhea, reduced milk production, and in pregnant animals, transmission to fetuses can result in miscarriage, stillbirth or birth defects.
The Food Standards Agency has confirmed there is currently no evidence that Shamonda virus poses a food safety risk. Health authorities maintain the current risk to the general population is very low, with no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission. Continued surveillance of livestock, insect vectors and genomic sequencing of human samples will be critical to detecting any changes to Shamonda's risk profile in people.
