Hong Kong has reported a case of human infection with B virus, an exceptionally rare disease that can cause severe brain damage or death.
Fatalities are more likely when treatment is delayed.
The virus, which has a fatality rate of up to 90%, is transmitted from macaque monkeys.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the patient had contact with wild monkeys and sustained injuries during a visit to Kam Shan Country Park in late February, a fact confirmed by family members. Ongoing epidemiological investigations are underway.
According to the CDC, only one case has been documented where an infected person spread B virus to another person.
Long-tailed macaques, considered one of the most heavily traded primate species globally, are in high demand by the biomedical industry.
Since the 1970s, the United States has used large numbers of endangered long-tailed macaques for lethal pharmaceutical testing.
Thailand has a history of raising and training macaques to pick coconuts, a practice that has been ongoing for centuries.
Coconut farmers in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India, and other regional countries also sometimes rely on monkeys for this purpose.
While individual monkeys can fetch prices as high as $60,000, the overall cost of trafficking these animals from their natural habitats to endure captivity and harsh experimentation is much greater.
