1. For wounds or scratches, thoroughly scrub or irrigate the wound or exposed area for a minimum of 15 minutes with a disinfectant solution that should be available at a sink in or near the monkey room. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP! DO NOT DELAY! Wound cleansing should be started as soon as possible or within two to five minutes after the injury. (It has been shown that a similar virus, the human herpes simplex virus, can enter host cells within five minutes of exposure.)
2. A concentrated soap or detergent such as povidone-iodine (Betadine Scrub), or chlorhexidine (Nolvasan Scrub) is recommended for skin exposures. The B virus is readily killed by most detergent soaps and disinfectants. The mechanical scrubbing or flushing action is reportedly the most effective means of removing the virus. For ocular exposures, the eye should be copiously flushed with an eye solution such as Dacriose or sterile normal saline for a minimum of 15 minutes.
3. After the immediate wound cleansing, contact the supervisor and the veterinarian on duty to report the incident. (The veterinarian at your company will coordinate the collection of blood and virology samples from the involved monkey.) Your supervisor will direct you to go the clinic during normal working hours for blood and wound virology sample collection.
4. After normal working hours, the emergency department will handle exposures by providing appropriate wound care and collecting a wound virology sample and a blood sample. Please take two Bartels Virology Transport Media vials and two sterile polyester (Dacron) swabs to the emergency room. These materials along with instructions for the clinic or emergency department should be available as a kit displayed in a prominent place in or near the monkey room.
5. The clinic or emergency department will notify your company that the specimens have been collected so that they can be shipped to the NIH B Virus Resource Laboratory, preferably within one to two days. Viral specimens should be frozen prior to shipment and the serum from the blood sample should be stored in a refrigerator or frozen.
6. You will be scheduled to have drawn a follow-up blood sample at the clinic in approximately two weeks. The veterinarian will insure that appropriate follow-up samples are obtained from the monkey.
