
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 19, 1990                   TAG: 9004190421
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B5   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: By Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTA                                LENGTH: Short

DANGER OF VIRUS HALTS IMPORTS OF LAB MONKEYS

The national Centers for Disease Control effectively shut down Wednesday the importation of laboratory research monkeys into the United States until importers present written plans to combat a potentially deadly virus.

Amid concerns over an Ebola virus strain detected in shipments of lab monkeys from three Philippines importers, the CDC announced Wednesday that no rhesus, cynomolgus or African green monkeys may be imported into this country - or distributed out of quarantine - unless accompanied by a special permit issued by the CDC director.

The permits must be issued at least 30 days prior to importation, which effectively suspends all imports for one month, even by those animal dealers not affected by the suspension of three major importers in March.

Hazleton Research Products of Reston, Va., was one of the importers suspended in March. At least one of the other suspended facilities, Charles River Primates Corp. of Port Washington, N.Y., was reinstated earlier this month.

The CDC reported earlier this month that four animal handlers have become infected with a presumed Ebola virus carried by Philippine lab monkeys, although none has become ill. That's in contrast to patterns of infection with African Ebola virus, which typically attacks suddenly and produces serious, and often fatal, illness.

Researchers believe that as many as 10 percent of the lab monkeys coming into the United States have been infected with a filovirus - the family of viruses including Ebola virus.

by CNB