Benjamin Brennan

The French authorities have announced the first recorded case of human infection with the Shamonda virus. The patient was receiving treatment for a serious illness and died in early October. This virus was first identified in farm animals in Europe this past summer, but had previously been detected in animals outside the continent. It is usually transmitted between animals via the bites of infected midges (Culicoides). It is still unknown how the patient contracted the viral infection and whether this was the direct cause of death. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in a press release has stated that it is monitoring the situation closely.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a public health event involving a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean that departed from Argentina. To date, two cases of hantavirus infection—generally acquired through exposure to the urine or feces of infected rodents—have been laboratory-confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases. Of these seven individuals, three have died, and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa. “The risk to the general population remains low. There is no reason to panic or impose travel restrictions,” said Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.