Context: Recently, China has reported its first human infection with Monkey B Virus (BV) and subsequent death.
About Monkey BV

• Monkey BV, an alphaherpesvirus enzootic in macaques, was initially isolated in 1932.
• According to China CDC Weekly, the virus is generally transmitted via direct contact and exchange of bodily fluid secretions.
• While BV is not evident in its natural macaque hosts, about 60 cases of pathogenic zoonotic BV infection have occurred, with the fatality rate around 70%–80%, the journal said.
• 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.
• Till date, only one case has been documented of an infected person spreading B virus to another person.
• The 2008 report said that the development and maintenance of true BV specific pathogen-free macaque colonies, as suggested by China CDC Weekly, has proven difficult.

Symptoms

• The initial symptoms usually develop around 1-3 weeks after exposure to the virus.
• Typically start within one month of being exposed to the B virus, but could appear in as little as three to seven days.
• The first indications of B virus infection are typically flu-like symptoms such as fever and chills, muscle ache, fatigue and headache. 
• Following which an infected person may develop small blisters in the wound or area on the body that came in contact with the monkey.
• Some other symptoms of the infection include shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and hiccups.

As the disease progresses, the virus spreads to and causes inflammation (swelling) of the brain and spinal cord, leading to neurologic and inflammatory symptoms such as: 

• Pain, numbness, itching near the wound site; 
• Issues with muscle coordination; 
• Brain damage and severe damage to the nervous system and 
• In extreme cases, death.

Vaccine against B virus: No. Currently, there are no vaccines that can protect against B virus infection.
Who are at higher risk for infection?

• The virus might pose a potential threat to laboratory workers, veterinarians, and others who may be exposed to monkeys or their specimens.

Prevention and treatment

• “Fluid therapy is the only treatment for Monkey B virus,” .
• In case a person has had any contact with a monkey or has been bitten or scratched, they should continuously wash the area with soap, detergent or iodine for a minimum of 15 minutes. 

Macaques (genus Macaca)

• More than 20 species of gregarious Old World monkeys, all of which are Asian except for the Barbary macaque of North Africa.
• Macaques are robust primates whose arms and legs are of about the same length. 
• Their fur is generally a shade of brown or black, and their muzzles, like those of baboons, are doglike but rounded in profile, with nostrils on the upper surface. 
• The tail varies between species and maybe longer, of moderate length, short, or absent. 
• The size differs between the sexes and between the species.
• Macaques live in troops of varying sizes.
• The males dominate the troop and live within a clear but shifting dominance rank order. 
• The ranking of females is longer-lasting and depends on their genealogical position.

Rhesus monkeys (M. mulatta)

• They are native to northern India, Myanmar (Burma), Southeast Asia, and eastern China, formerly as far north as Beijing.
• These are familiar brown primates with red faces and rears. They have close-cropped hair on their heads, which accentuates their very expressive faces.
• Their natural range includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Southeast Asia, and China. A few troops of introduced rhesus macaques now live wild in Florida.
• It has a least concerned status in the IUCN red list.
• These intelligent animals can adapt to many habitats, and some can even become accustomed to living in human communities. 
• This is most common in India, where Hindus regard the animals as sacred and usually leave them undisturbed.

Lion Tailed macaques, or wanderoos (M. silenus)

• They are black with grey ruffs and tufted tails. 
• It is an endangered species, they are found only in a small area of southern India. 
• Closely related to lion tails are the pigtail macaques (M. nemestrina), which carry their short tails curved over their backs. 
• Inhabiting rainforests of Southeast Asia, they are sometimes trained to pick ripe coconuts.