China reports the first human case of monkey virus B after the death of a veterinarian

[ad_1]

A veterinarian in China became the first person in the country to contract and die from the extremely rare monkey B virus, Chinese officials said last weekend.

The vet, 53, suffered severe nausea and fever two months after dissecting two monkeys at a breeding research institute in Beijing and died May 27, according to the Washington Post.

Monkey B virus, also known as Herpes B virus, usually comes from contact with a macaque and can cause severe brain damage or death, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Quoting infectious disease expert Kentaro Iwata of Japan’s Kobe University, the newspaper reported that the virus attacks the central nervous system and has a death rate of about 80% if not treated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is only one documented case of the virus spreading from person to person.

A US resident who visited Nigeria was diagnosed with monkeypox last week after returning to Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

LINGSHUI, April 4, 2021 – Macaques rest at Nanwan Monkey Islet in Lingshui County, southern China’s Hainan Province, April 4, 2021 (Photo by Guo Cheng/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Guo Cheng via Getty Images)

MONKEYPOX was detected in a US resident hospital visited Nigeria, CDC and Texas officials confirm

Monkeypox is an entirely different virus—it causes flu-like symptoms and rashes and is associated with smallpox—but both viruses can be infected through animal contact.

The herpes virus Simiae virus or monkey virus B leads to fatal encephalomyelitis. The image is made according to a view under a transmission electron microscope, the diameter of the virus is 180 nm. (BSIP/UIG Photo via Getty Images)

After a Chinese vet’s blood and saliva samples tested positive for the monkey B virus, two of his colleagues tested negative, according to the newspaper.

The newspaper reported that the virus was first discovered in 1932, and since fewer than 100 human cases have been diagnosed.

American primatologist Elizabeth R. Griffin died in 1997 at the age of 22 years and six weeks after a macaque monkey threw a contaminated liquid in her eye. Griffin’s infection could have been prevented and delayed its diagnosis and treatment, says her biography on the Elizabeth R. Griffin Research Foundation website.

CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS APP

Her family later founded the organization in her honor, which focuses on prevention through biosafety training.

Chinese health authorities have stated that it is necessary to “strengthen surveillance in laboratory macaques and professional workers”.

[ad_2]