HONG KONG – A 37-year-old man is in critical condition after being attacked by monkeys in a Hong Kong country park and has tested positive for B virus, making him the first person in the city to contract the deadly infection.

The Hong Kong authorities are investigating the case and warned the public to refrain from touching or feeding wild monkeys.

Anyone wounded by monkeys should seek immediate medical attention, the Centre for Health Protection said in a statement on April 3.

The man was admitted to hospital for fever and decreased consciousness on March 21, the agency said.

Family members said he was wounded during a visit in late February to Kam Shan Country Park, a hiking destination known for its troop of wild monkeys, the report said. 

His case is the first in Hong Kong of the rare infection that can cause severe brain damage or death if not treated immediately, a spokesman for the health department said.

Monkey bites or scratches previously sickened people in the US, Canada, Japan and mainland China.

Human-to-human transmission of the pathogen also known as the herpes simiae virus is rare, according to the statement. 

“B virus is naturally carried in the saliva, urine and stool of macaques, which is a type of wild monkey commonly found in Hong Kong,” it said.

“Infected persons may initially present with flu-like symptoms that may progress to infection of the central nervous system.” BLOOMBERG