Livestock virus Shamonda kills a human for the first time

A 61-year-old man being treated for leukaemia in Lyon, France, has become the first person known to contract and die from Shamonda virus, previously seen only in animals. A Eurosurveillance case report says he had a stem cell transplant and developed fatal brain swelling, with blindness and confusion. He died on October 9. Officials suspect a midge bite; a wider outbreak is considered unlikely.