Brown Howler Fever Essay

Brown howler monkeys are at high risk of acquiring yellow fever and a widespread outbreak can cause extinctions of local populations. There have been hundreds of brown howler monkeys that have died at the RPPN-FMA reserve because of this disease. Also at this reserve are yellow muriqui monkeys which are critically endangered but they aren’t as susceptible to yellow fever compared to the howler monkeys. The yellow fever originated from the mosquitos and has spread all over Brazil, eliminating populations of the brown howler monkey in the thousands, particularly in Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo in Brazil. An area that has been devastated by yellow fever is a government protected reserve known as RPPN Feliciana Miguel Abdala (RPPN-FMA), in Caratinga,

Humans also involuntarily carry infected mosquitoes in their luggage and cars. Strier stressed that people must understand that monkeys aren’t the ones to blame for the spread of yellow fever and that her colleagues are making sure this message gets across. Strier and Mendes have concerns for another primate, the muriqui which is known as a “hippie” because of its relaxed lifestyle. It is critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, and the RPPN-FMS reserve has 340 of the northern muriqui, which is 1/3 of the entire population. Thankfully they are not as prone to the disease as howler monkeys. The howler monkeys are being wiped out and thus the northern muriqui have less competitors in their forest. There may be more food available for them to eat. However, it could have adverse effects because the forest can change dramatically without the howler monkeys. The most recent outbreak has been the worst one in years. Over 320 people have been infected with yellow fever and there have been about 220 deaths. Humans need to be vaccinated to stop death from yellow fever. There is no vaccine for the monkeys