The deaths of at least 11 monkeys in a zoo in central Hong Kong as a result of melioidosis has thrust the bacterial infection into the spotlight. But it is not new to the city. An outbreak in Sham Shui Po in 2022 claimed the lives of nine residents, though their deaths garnered less media attention than the deaths of the monkeys in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, which now number 12. HKFP examines what causes the disease. What causes melioidosis? Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, which is commonly found in soil and water – p…
