A French man has become the first person to contract Shamonda virus, a disease previously only found in animals and spread through midges.

The patient, who had a weakened immune system, has since died, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Shamonda virus was first identified in Nigeria in the 1960s and has this year been detected in farm animals all across Europe.

It was confirmed to have spread to the British Isles in September, after being found in a cattle herd on the island of Jersey. There have also been cases in Ireland.

The French patient, who was immunocompromised, died earlier this month while infected with the virus, but it is unclear if the infection contributed to his death, the ECDC said in a statement.

Investigations into whether the virus caused or contributed to the patient’s death and how the infection was acquired are ongoing.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director of the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement on X that he was…