New Delhi, Oct. 24 -- France has reported the first known human case of Shamonda virus in a patient who died, raising questions about its symptoms, transmission and potential risks to people. The virus, which primarily affects livestock, has been detected across more than a dozen European countries this year, decades after it was first identified in Nigeria.

The patient was being treated for a serious illness at a hospital in Lyon and had a severely weakened immune system. French authorities suspect the infection occurred after a bite from an infected midge in eastern France, where the virus had been circulating among livestock.

Investigations into the patient's infection and death are continuing. The World Health Organization (WHO) has...