This pathogen, belonging to the herpesvirus family, results in death in approximately 40% of cases.

SEVERE FEVER AND CONFUSED STATE UPON HOSPITAL ADMISSION

A 37-year-old man from Hong Kong was admitted to the emergency and accident unit of Yan Chai Hospital on March 21st with acute fever and altered mental status. Laboratory tests confirmed his symptoms were due to an infection caused by the B virus, discovered in 1932. Despite treatment, the man's condition worsened, and by April 5th, he was in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

No further updates on the condition of the patient infected with the B virus have been released by the CHP. It emerged that the man, who was in good health, was bitten by wild macaques in the Kam Shan Country Park, under conservation protection, at the end of February. These macaques, particularly common at the park's location known as Monkey Hill, are non-native crab-eating or Javanese macaques that have spread in the southern Chinese region due to their adaptability.

RARE BUT OFTEN DEADLY

The B virus is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transferred from animals to humans, causing serious symptoms, often referred to as monkey disease. This transition often occurs from wild monkeys, most commonly the Southeast Asian crab-eating or Javanese macaques. The virus, scientifically named Herpes simiae, is a variant of human herpes found in monkeys.

Transmission primarily occurs through the animal's bite.

To date, nearly half of the recorded fifty cases have resulted in death, totaling 21 fatalities.

Although current literature predominantly supports the notion that the virus cannot spread from one human to another, there is a documented case where a patient was infected by another person with the B virus. The CHP is currently conducting extensive investigations to uncover any additional infections. The agency advises hikers to avoid wild monkey troops and not attempt to attract them with food or other means.

MONKEYS AS INTERMEDIARY HOSTS OF DANGEROUS VIRUSES

The Macacine herpesvirus 1 (McHV-1), or monkey B virus, is the only primate herpesvirus known to infect humans. Herpesviruses, belonging to the Herpesviridae family, are double-stranded DNA viruses that are implicated in both animal and human diseases and have an icosahedral shape.

Although monkey B virus infection is exceedingly rare, its consequences can be devastating.

Based on the cases identified so far, the mortality rate exceeds forty percent, with nearly an equal proportion of survivors experiencing severe encephalitis as a complication.

Monkeys are known to be intermediary hosts for numerous pathogens and viruses. The HIV virus, identified in 1983 as the cause of the feared and incurable disease AIDS, is believed to have been transmitted to humans from monkeys according to earlier research. Similarly, a virus belonging to the Orthopoxvirus genus, which causes the dreaded monkeypox, is also a pathogen resident in monkeys. Several thousand cases of monkeypox have primarily been identified in the West and Central African regions. Outside Africa, the first case of monkeypox was identified in the United States in 2003. With the growth of tourism, there is a significantly increased risk of the spread of zoonotic virus infections compared to the past.