Monkey attack leads to first Hong Kong B virus case

Bloomberg

A 37-year-old man who is in critical condition after being attacked by monkeys in a Hong Kong park has tested positive for B virus, making him the first person in the territory to contract the deadly infection.

Hong Kong authorities are investigating the case and warning the public to refrain from touching or feeding wild monkeys.

Anyone wounded by monkeys should seek immediate medical attention, the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection said in a statement on Wednesday.

The man was admitted to a hospital for fever and decreased consciousness on March 21, the center said.

Family members said he was wounded during a visit to Kam Shan Country Park, a hiking destination known for its troop of wild monkeys, in late February, the report said.

His is the first case in Hong Kong of the rare infection, which can cause severe brain damage or death if not treated immediately, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Department of Health said.

Monkey bites or scratches previously sickened people in the US, Canada, Japan and mainland China. Human-to-human transmission of the pathogen also known as the herpes simiae virus is rare, it said.

“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,” the statement said. “Infected persons may initially present with flu-like symptoms that may progress to infection of the central nervous system.”