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| Rhesus Monkey. Photo Courtesy |
Monkeys in Florida have been diagnosed to spread a very dangerous strain of herpes that is very dangerous to human beings. The disease is evident in the rhesus macaque monkeys living in and out of Florida state parks.Wildlife officials of the area have ordered a complete removal and isolation of the monkeys from the parks.
The monkeys were introduced to the Florida state in the 1930s to boost tourism in the area during the Tarzan craze during that time and the number has risen to around 175 monkeys roaming out and about in Silver Springs State Park and have also spread to Sarasota, Ocala, and Tallahassee regions.
Research by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that a form of Herpes B virus is excreted by these monkeys and is very fatal to human life if one is infected.
Research done indicates that 30% of the free-ranging monkeys are infected with the virus and may pose a very serious public health threat.
Herpes B virus is rare in human being and only fifty incidences of infection have been reported worldwide and the humans were infected by scratches from the monkeys while they were being researched on in laboratories and causes serios brain damages or death iiiiiif goes untreated in time.
