The anonymous 53-year-old veterinarian from Beijing died on May 27, just months after dissecting two dead monkeys as part of his experimental primate research work in March. After dissecting the monkeys, the man reportedly exhibited symptoms of the monkey B virus, including vomiting and fever, and ultimately died in hospital.
The man is the first recorded case of human infection with the virus and has raised concerns, with the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) warning that the monkey B virus could potentially harm others who work with primates.
“Zoonotic BV infections have primarily involved primate veterinarians, animal care personnel, or laboratory researchers in North America. However, there were no fatal or even clinically obvious BV infections in China before 2021 ”, the weekly CCDC newspaper reported earlier this month.
Noting that the monkey B virus “Could constitute a potential zoonotic threat for workers”, the report argued that “There is a need to eliminate BV during the development of specific rhesus colonies free of pathogens and to strengthen surveillance in laboratory macaques and workers in China.”
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), although it is ” extremely rare “ for humans to get infected with the virus, it can cause “Serious brain damage or death if you don’t get treatment right away”.
“People are usually infected with the B virus if they are bitten or scratched by an infected macaque monkey, or if they have contact with the monkey’s eyes, nose or mouth.” the CDC explained, adding that just “There has been a documented case of an infected person transmitting the B virus to another person. “
Symptoms of the virus can include nausea, vomiting, fever, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, and blistering, and they often don’t appear until a month after infection.
The news of China’s first human monkey B virus case is concerning to many as the world continues to fight the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and continues to make dead all over the world.
Due to increased interest in public health during the coronavirus pandemic, several cases of rare or largely unknown diseases have sparked concern in recent months, including news that a Texas resident returning from Nigeria had been hospitalized for monkey pox, which has a 1% chance. to be fatal. The CDC, however, reassured Americans that there was nothing to fear.
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