Hong Kong - CHP investigates case of B virus human infection (April 3, 2024)

[Pathfinder]

CHP investigates case of B virus human infection
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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (April 3) investigating a case of human infection of B virus (also known as herpes simiae virus), and urged the public to refrain from touching or feeding wild monkeys to minimise the risk of contracting the virus.

The case involves a 37-year-old male with good past health, who was admitted to Yan Chai Hospital through accident and emergency department on March 21 due to fever and decreased conscious level. He is now receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital and his condition is critical. Cerebrospinal fluid specimen of the patient tested positive for B virus by the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch of the CHP today.

According to the information provided by his family members and preliminary investigations, the patient had contacts with wild monkeys and was wounded by them during his visit to Kam Shan Country Park in late February. Epidemiological investigations are ongoing.

A spokesman for the CHP said that this is the first B virus human infection case recorded by the CHP, but these cases had been reported in other places such as the United States, Canada, the Mainland and Japan, and were mainly caused by bites or scratches by monkeys while human-to-human transmissions are very rare. Members of the public are strongly urged to refrain from touching or feeding wild monkeys.

The spokesman supplemented that B virus is naturally carried in the saliva, urine and stool of macaques, which is a type of wild monkeys commonly found in Hong Kong. Infected persons may initially present with flu-like symptoms that may progress to infection of the central nervous system.

To minimise risk of acquiring B virus, members of the public are advised to note the following:

1. Stay away from wild monkeys and avoid touching or feeding them;
2. In case there are wounds caused by monkeys, wash the wound with running water and seek medical attention immediately.

Members of the public may also visit website of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for more information on do's and don'ts when encountering monkeys: www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conservation/con_fau/con_fau_nui/con_fau_nui_str/con_fau_nui_str.html.

Ends/Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Issued at HKT 22:00

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202404/03/P2024040400151.htm?fontSize=1

[Treyfish]

Man who caught virus from a monkey in a critical condition – B virus explained


B virus is a biosafety category 4 virus. That is the same level as Ebola and unknown new pathogens.

• 22 April 2024

A 37-year-old man wounded by a wild monkey in Hong Kong is in intensive care suffering from infection with B virus.

Although this is the first reported case of a B virus infection in a human in Hong Kong, it is not the first in the world. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 50 cases of human infection since 1932, when the virus was first identified. Twenty-one of those infected died.

The first person – as far as we know – to catch B virus was a young doctor called William Brebner. He was bitten by a macaque monkey while researching poliovirus. The bite wound healed, but neurological illness eventually ensued, leading to respiratory failure. Brebner died at Bellevue Hospital, New York, in November 1932.

After his death, his brain tissues were found to cause neurological damage when injected into rabb...


...In this most recent case, the 37-year-old man was attacked by macaques at Hong Kong’s Kam Shan Country Park – known locally as Monkey Hill. There are about 1,800 wild monkeys in Hong Kong, including two different macaque species. The authorities are warning people not to approach these creatures.

Macaques are a particularly adaptable group of old world primates with a wide global distribution. They live in towns, villages and temples across Asia and have been introduced elsewhere. They include the Barbary apes of Gibraltar, which were provided with rations by the British army after the second world war.

They are eaten as a del...i

https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/ma...irus-explained