The CDC states that while a viral infection is extremely rare, it can lead to severe brain damage or even death.
It is not just a one-night stand in the Sunshine State’s popular night clubs that can give you an STD — a species of monkeys in Florida can give you herpes, according to reports.
The species of monkeys known as “rhesus macaques” have been reported to carry the herpes B virus, according to Click Orlando.
The CDC says that people typically get infected with B virus from monkeys “if they are bitten or scratched by an infected macaque monkey, or have contact with the monkey’s eyes, nose, or mouth. Only one case has been documented of an infected person spreading B virus to another person.”
The species of monkeys were originally brought to Florida by the manager of a glass-bottom boat operation in the 1930s and he later released six on an island in the Silver River to attract tourists. However, the monkeys swam away from the island into the surrounding forest, breeding and increasing their numbers over the years, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife.
Rhesus macaques have tested positive for herpes B virus recently in Florida and around 18 incidents of rhesus macaque bites and scratches have been reported, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife.
No confirmed cases of a human contracting herpes B from a macaque in the wild have been documented, but fifty incidents of human infection contracted from macaques in captivity have been reported, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife.
Macaques may become aggressive when fed by humans and, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife, to avoid any potential herpes B transmission, bites or scratches, a rule was passed in 2017 prohibiting the feeding of any wild monkeys in the state.
The CDC states that while a viral infection is extremely rare, it can lead to severe brain damage or even death.
