10 Things To Know About The Deadly Monkey B Virus

Monkey B Virus: A Beijing-based veterinary surgeon, who was diagnosed with the Monkey B Virus (BV) infection after he dissected two dead monkeys in early March, has succumbed to death due to the same. This marks the first human infection and death in China due to Monkey B virus.

The 53-year-old male vet showed symptoms of nausea and vomiting a month after the said incident at an institution where the team is researching on non-human primates. Meanwhile, his family members are reportedly safe from the virus.

Here are ten things to know about the Monkey B Virus:

1. China had reported its first case of Monkey B Virus this year, the State-run Global Times reported on Saturday.

2. The veterinary surgeon, who is based out of Beijing, had contracted the infection when he started working at an institution researching on non-human primates and dissected two dead monkeys in early March. After a month, he started showing symptoms of the virus.

3. The 53-year-old is also the country’s first human infection case who died from the virus, reported The Global Times. His early-onset symptoms were nausea and vomiting.

4. The infected individual reportedly sought treatment in several hospitals and eventually died on May 27.

5. Prior to his case, there was no fatality or even clinically evident infections reported due to the Monkey B Virus in China, thus this case marks the first human infection case with the virus identified in the country.

6. In April, researchers had collected the veterinarian’s cerebrospinal fluid and found out that he was positive for the virus. Meanwhile, samples of his family members were tested negative for the Monkey B virus.

7. Notably, the virus was first detected in 1932. It is an alphaherpesvirus enzootic found in macaque monkeys of the genus Macaca. It can be transmitted through direct contact with the infected monkey or via the exchange of bodily secretions.

8. The fatality rate of the Monkey B virus is 70 percent to 80 percent.

9. Since the identification of the virus in 1932, there have been 50 documented cases of human infection.

10. It is also reported that the Monkey B virus might spread a potentially serious viral illness among researchers and occupational workers.

Feature Image Credit: Livemint/The Siasat Daily