Monkey B Virus: First Death in China & there is no Vaccine for it

• 22 Jul 2021

China has reported its first death by viral infection called the Monkey B virus after a veterinarian infected, after he dissected two dead monkeys.

About the Virus

Monkey B virus, also called the B virus (BV), was first discovered in 1932.

It is the only identified old-world-monkey herpesvirus, commonly called herpes B, herpesvirus simiae, and herpesvirus B, monkey B virus.

• Transmission: It is transmitted by macaques, chimpanzees and capuchin monkeys. The Monkey B virus spreads when a person comes in contact with an infected monkey's tissues or fluid. Apart from that, it can also infect a person if he or she is bitten by an infected monkey. As of now, there has been only one case of person to person transmission. In the case of a Beijing-based male veterinarian, people who came in contact with him have had no symptoms and have tested negative for the virus.
• Symptoms: The male vet who succumbed to the virus experienced nausea and vomiting, which appeared within 3 to 7 days. Other symptoms include fever and chills, headache, fatigue, body and muscle pain and neurological symptoms like memory problems, brain fog, etc. A person may start demonstrating symptoms “within one month of being exposed to a monkey with B virus infection, but could appear in as little as three to seven days.”
• Treatment: Currently, there are no vaccines available against the Monkey B virus. Experts have suggested fluid therapy as the only treatment for the virus.