China reports first death from a rare Monkey B virus

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported over the weekend that a man died from a rare Monkey B virus.

The CCDC's statement said the patient, a 53-year-old male veterinary surgeon who was working on "nonhuman primate breeding and experimental research" in Beijing, had dissected two monkeys on March 4 and 6 of this year. He then started experiencing nausea, vomiting, and fever a month later and died on March 27, according to The Hill.

The virus, also called "Macacine alphaherpesvirus 1," was first discovered in 1932 and is mainly transmitted through direct contact and the bodily fluids of Macaca monkeys.’

"Although the risk for secondary transmission appears to be minimal, one case of human-to-human transmission of herpes B virus has previously been documented," the CCDC said. "Zoonotic BV infections have mainly involved primate veterinarians, animal care personnel, or laboratory researchers in North America."

There have been fewer than 100 known infections. The recent case appears to be the only death caused by the virus. There has been one documented case of the virus spreading to another human from a human.