Florida’s Rhesus Monkeys and Herpes Virus: A Public Health Threat?

Rhesus macaque on Florida's Silver River

Rhesus macaque on Florida’s Silver River          Anoldent

The ancestors of Florida’s rhesus macaques arrived in the late 1930s on the supposed whim of a local tour boat guide. What started as a handful of individuals is now believed to number in the hundreds, worrying public health officials that the macaques could transmit a deadly herpesvirus to human admirers imprudent enough to venture too close to the animals.

Continue reading