China reports first human death from Monkey B Virus

Beijing, July 19: After COVID -19, China has now reported the first human death due to the Monkey B Virus (BV). According to the Global Times, the Beijing-based vet succumbed to the virus in May.

 

 

A 53-year-old veterinary surgeon who worked for an institution researching non-human primates was contacted by the virus while dissecting two animals. According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), the case was first reported in March of this year.

 

 

 

The veterinarian started experiencing nausea and vomiting and, a month later, fever and neurological symptoms followed. As he showed signs, the vet took treatment in several hospitals. However, the treatment failed, and he eventually died on May 27. The deceased was also the country’s first human infection case with Monkey B Virus.

 

Meanwhile, all close contacts of the patient are reported to have tested negative for the virus and are safe from it, for now.

 

 

The Monkey B virus was first detected in 1931. The virus is an alphaherpesvirus enzootic in macaques of the genus Macaca. It can be transmitted via direct contact and exchange of bodily secretions and has a fatality rate of 70 percent to 80 percent. According to a report published in the US National Library of Medicine, BV has a propensity to invade the central nervous system when transmitted to humans.

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