The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health of the HKSAR Government is investigating a human case of monkey B virus (also known as monkey herpesvirus) and reminds members of the public to avoid touching or feeding wild monkeys to reduce the risk of contracting the virus.
What is Monkey B Virus?
Originally isolated in 1932, monkey B virus is an endemic α herpes virus in macaques that is usually transmitted through direct contact and the exchange of body secretion levels.
Monkey B virus is mainly transmitted between monkeys through mating, bites or scratches, poisonous saliva through damaged skin or mucous membranes, and can also be transmitted indirectly through fomites.
Under the influence of certain environmental and social factors, monkey B virus can cross the species barrier to infect humans, and cause human infection through monkey scratches, bites, needle, cage scratches, and mucus splashes.
The patient died in late February
Injured by a wild monkey attack
According to the Centre for Protection, the Hong Kong case involved a 37-year-old man who was previously in good health who was taken to the emergency room of a hospital on March 21 with fever and confusion. Currently, he is being hospitalized for treatment and is in a dangerous condition. The patient's cerebrospinal fluid sample was tested positive for monkey B virus on 3 April.
According to the information provided by the patient's family and preliminary investigation, the patient visited Kam Shan Country Park in late February, during which he came into contact with wild monkeys and was attacked by monkeys and injured himself. Epidemiological investigations are ongoing.
A spokesman for the CFS said that the above case was the first human case of monkey B virus infection in Hong Kong recorded by the CFS, but such cases had occurred in other places such as the Mainland, the United States, Canada and Japan, and were mainly caused by monkey bites or scratches, and human-to-human transmission was very rare.
The first case of monkey B virus infection in the mainland
Appeared in 2021
On July 16, 2021, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Weekly Report reported the details of the first human case of monkey B virus infection found in mainland China.
The patient is a 53-year-old male veterinarian who works at an institution in Beijing that specializes in non-human primate breeding and experimental research. He dissected two dead monkeys on March 4 and 6, 2021, and a month later developed symptoms of nausea and vomiting, followed by fever and neurological symptoms. The patient was seen in several hospitals and eventually died on 27 May.
Remind the general public
Wild monkeys should be avoided from touching or feeding
to reduce the risk of contracting the virus
If bitten or scratched by a monkey
The wound should be rinsed with water as soon as possible
and seek medical attention immediately
Source: HKSAR Government News Network, Dian News, Voice of the Greater Bay Area, Ta Kung Wenhui, etc