How did a French man get infected with the Shamonda virus, a first in the world? Explainer

In the first week of October this year, a 60-plus man from Eastern France was being treated at the Hospices Civils de Lyon, a hospital in France's third-largest city, Lyon. He had a serious, undisclosed illness as per reports, and sadly, passed away within a few days. At the time of his death, the authorities and doctors thought that what caused his death was severe neurological complications. Detailed medical tests followed, and what the scientists found shocked them. It was Shamonda virus - an insect-borne RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) virus- that was long considered non-transmissible to human beings! The virus, which spreads through bites of infected Culicoides midges, a minuscule blood-feeding insect, mainly affects livestock and ruminants like cattle, horses and goats. If so, how did the Frenchman get infected by this virus?

How did it spread to humans?
According to the French Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, this unprecedented event is probably due to the man's severely weakened immune system. The World Health Organisation is also actively investigating whether the virus directly caused the person's death, or was just a factor that took his life. The scientists are also sequencing the virus, which was found in the patient, to check if it has mutated in some way to infect human beings, or whether the Frenchman's death was a completely isolated case. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the WHO have also asked veterinary services across Europe to monitor and test livestock for stillbirths, miscarriages or neurological symptoms to map where the virus is circulating. 

Shamonda from Nigeria
The Shamonda virus is named after a place in Nigeria, where the lab that first isolated it was located. The Shamonda village, in Ibadan city, is a historic medical hub. The first detection was in 1965. Interestingly, the virus was first officially confirmed in Europe this year, in late July. It was found during genomic testing on sick cattle on farms in Eastern France (from where the dead patient hails), Switzerland and Germany. Now, it has also spread to 14 European nations including Ireland, Austria, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Jersey in the UK. 

Protective measures or warnings
At the moment, France has not asked the general public to take any protective measures, saying that there is 'no health risk identified at this time.' As it is entirely insect-borne and can't spread from person to person, citizens don't have to wear masks, socially distance or restrict travel at this time. However, agricultural workers in affected areas should eliminate standing water from where the Culicoides midges breed, and test their cattle. Severely immunocompromised patients are advised to take measures to avoid bug bites and stay away from vector-heavy environments. 
'Shamonda Virus' has more than 18K search volume on Google Trends in the past 20 hours.