Feral monkeys with HERPES in Central Florida is on the verge of doubling

They have a herpes virus that can be fatal to humans. They are randy. And their population could double by 2022. “They” are a group of about 200 feral monkeys — rhesus macaques, to be exact — in Silver Springs State Park in central Florida’s Marion County. There is also a colony of these monkeys in Puerto Rico. According to a 2018 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers found that these rhesus macaques can shed the herpes B virus, known as macacine herpes virus 1 or McHV-1, and this puts “humans at risk for exposure to this potentially fatal pathogen.” No humans recently, so far, have contracted the monkey B virus. The virus is transmitted by bites and scratches and simian bodily fluids — monkeys are known to, sorry, fling their poop, so that could be one way to spread the infection, too. For these reasons, the CDC issued a warning that officials should work on plans to limit the transmission of McHV-1 from these macaques. “It’s going to be a problem. Continual growth of that population is going to occur without intervention,” University of Florida professor Steve Johnson told ABC affiliate WFTV9 on Thursday.