General
China reports first human death from rare Monkey B virus
A 53-year-old has been documented as the first human to have died after contracting a rare infectious disease from primates, known as the Monkey B virus.
According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the man fell ill in March after dissecting two dead monkeys.
Metro UK reports that he experienced nausea, vomiting, and fever a month later, and died May 27, according to a report released by health officials on Saturday.
His blood and saliva samples were sent to the CDC in April, where researchers found evidence of the Monkey B virus.
Two of his close contacts, a male doctor and a female nurse, tested negative for the virus, officials said.
The Monkey B virus, or herpes B virus as it is also known, is prevalent among macaque monkeys.
It is often deadly when it spreads to humans, though this is extremely rare.
According to the US CDC there have only been 50 reported infections in humans globally, and 21 of them died.
Most became infected after they were bitten or scratched by a monkey, or when fluids from a monkey got on their broken skin.
In 1997, a researcher died from B virus infection after bodily fluid from an infected monkey splashed into her eye.
Just like Covid, the first indications of the virus in humans are typically flu-like symptoms.
Infected people may go onto to develop small blisters in the wound, while other symptoms include shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and hiccups.
As the disease progresses, the virus attacks the central nervous system and causes inflammation to the brain, leading to a loss of consciousness.
Only one case has been documented of an infected person spreading B virus to another person.
Nikolaus Osterrieder, dean of the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences in Hong Kong, said both herpes B and Covid-19 are ‘the consequence of species jumps’.
‘But the important difference is that in the case from herpes B, it’s a dead end. It’s not jumping from one human to another human,’ he told the Washington Post.
‘SARS-CoV-2, on the other hand, acquired the ability to spread to a new host.’
In the report released on Saturday, Chinese health authorities said the discovery of the Monkey B virus in a human suggests that it might ‘pose a potential zoonotic threat to occupational workers’ and that it’s necessary ‘to strengthen surveillance in laboratory macaques and occupational workers’.
-
News20 hours ago
US court overturn ex-Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction
-
Metro20 hours ago
Mother, child electrocuted in Ogun market
-
Metro21 hours ago
Oyo police arrest trigger-happy officer who killed NYSC member
-
News18 hours ago
Don’t restrict yourself to employer-sponsored health plans – SUNU Health
-
News16 hours ago
Boat mishap: CILT demands stakeholders’ collaboration for waterways safety
-
Metro16 hours ago
Insecurity: Plateau community seeks ban of bandits-friendly bikes
-
News13 hours ago
Active WWII bomb discovered near German stadium
-
Economy2 hours ago
Good tax system will attract foreign investment – CITN