Experts slam 8-month delay in revealing Hong Kong man’s monkey virus death

Hong Kong health authorities should have announced the death of a man who contracted a rare infection following a monkey attack sooner, experts have said, arguing more prompt announcements could raise public awareness and encourage early treatment.

The Centre for Health Protection revealed on Thursday in its Communicable Diseases Watch, an online monthly publication, that a 37-year-old man with good past health died on June 18 last year after being injured by wild monkeys that February. He tested positive for B virus after the attack and developed shock the day before he died.

The man is the first confirmed human case of B virus, a type of herpes virus commonly found in macaques, infection in Hong Kong.

The centre first disclosed the case in a press release on April 3 last year, but only revealed the man’s death on Thursday.

It maintained on Friday there was no delay in its duties related to the case, but said it would review its current practice.

“The centre will review the current practice and consider announcing the crucial changes in the clinical conditions of special infectious disease cases as soon as practicable,” controller Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin said.