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Herpes-ridden monkeys are on the loose in Florida

Sarah Hofmann Contributor
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Thousands of herpes-infected monkeys are terrorizing Florida, in case you didn’t know.

The monkeys first were brought into the state in 1930 because a tour guide really liked the movie “Tarzan,” reports the New York Post.

Wildlife officials estimate that there are over a thousand wild monkeys now living in the state. Over the past decade they’ve managed to capture about 700 of them.

Most are infected with herpes-B, which rarely transfers to humans, but when it does, it is often fatal, according to the CDC. Florida officials are now considering the primates a public health hazard.

They were initially stranded on an island in the Silver River, but learned to swim and made their way to the mainland. So not only do these monkeys have herpes, but they are adapting to discover new ways to spread it.

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Tags : florida
Sarah Hofmann