At least the monkeys are better off than the humans.

Officials in the mountainous northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh say they are struggling to control a severe form of monkey diarrhoea.

Thousands of primates in the forested Himalayan slopes are affected.

Officials say the disease has killed dozens and hundreds more remain ill with bleeding from their mouths, and rapid weight loss.

Clearly our scientists need to be working on monkey Imodium.