Explained: What Is Camel Flu (MERS)? The Respiratory Disease People At Qatar World Cup Are At Risk Of Contracting

FIFA World Cup 2022: MERS or camel flu is a respiratory infection caused by the virus Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which was identified for the first time in 2012.

According to an article that has been accepted for publication in the journal New Microbes and New Infections, people at the FIFA World Cup are at risk of viral respiratory infections including Covid-19 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) infection, also known as camel flu. 

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Qatar World Cup 2022: There are several potential infectious disease risks for football players, the fans, the local hosting population, and the countries of origin of the teams at the 2022 FIFA World Cup being held in Qatar. According to an article that has been accepted for publication in the journal New Microbes and New Infections, people at the FIFA World Cup are at risk of viral respiratory infections including Covid-19 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) infection, also known as camel flu. 

The article states that MERS-CoV, a coronavirus that causes camel flu, had caused multiple hospital outbreaks in Saudi Arabia, but a limited number of cases in Qatar. 

According to epidemiologic (relating to the study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people and why) data, 28 cases of MERS were recorded in Qatar, and most infections had a history of contact with camels. The incidence of MERS in Qatar is 1.7 per 10,00,000 population. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), incidence refers to the occurrence of new cases of disease or injury in a population over a specified period of time. 

The authors of the paper have advised people with greater risk of developing MERS to avoid contact with dromedary (one-humped) camels, eating meat that has not been cooked properly, or drinking raw camel milk or camel urine. 

Here's all you need to know about camel flu or MERS. 

What is MERS?

MERS is a respiratory infection caused by the virus Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which was identified for the first time in 2012.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, or the novel coronavirus, which causes Covid-19, is also a type of coronavirus. MERS mostly results in symptoms such as shortness of breath, fever and cough. Other symptoms include pneumonia, and gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhoea. 

Of every 10 patients with MERS, three or four have died, according to the CDC. About 35 per cent of MERS cases reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) have succumbed to the disease. 

MERS-CoV is a zoonotic virus, which means that its transmission occurs between animals and people. Several Member States in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia have reported the incidence of MERS cases and linked the infections to dromedary camels. 

The number of cases of human-to-human transmission of MERS outside healthcare settings is limited. 

According to the CDC, health officials first reported MERS in Saudi Arabia in September 2012, but subsequent investigations identified that the first known cases of the disease occurred in Jordan, a Middle-Eastern country, in 2012. 

All cases of MERS that have occurred so far have been linked through travel to, or residence in countries in and near the Arabian Peninsula. In 2015, the Republic of Korea experienced an outbreak of MERS. This marked the largest known outbreak of camel flu outside the Arabian Peninsula. A traveller returning from the Arabian Peninsula is believed to have initiated the outbreak. 

People ranging from age one to 99 years can contract MERS. 

What are the symptoms of MERS?

The most common symptoms of MERS or camel flu are shortness of breath, fever, cough, chills, sore throat, runny nose, muscle aches and trouble breathing. People infected with MERS-CoV may also suffer from diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. Severe complications associated with MERS include pneumonia and kidney failure. 

Blood coughing is a less common symptom, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. 

If one is suffering from severe illness, their respiratory system may fail and they may need mechanical ventilation or support in an intensive care unit. 

MERS patients who succumbed to their infection usually had a pre-existing medical condition that weakened their immune system, or an underlying medical condition had not yet been discovered. Due to these conditions, their immune systems were weakened, increasing their chances to get sick or have severe illness.

Usually, older people have weakened immune systems, because of which they are at greater risk of developing severe disease. 

Some of the pre-existing conditions which people with MERS have include chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease, cancer, diabetes and hypertension. 

Sometimes, people suffering from MERS can be asymptomatic, or have mild respiratory symptoms. 

In most cases, the symptoms of MERS start to appear five or six days after a person has been exposed to the virus. In some cases, the incubation period can be as short as two days and as long as 14 days. 

How is MERS-CoV transmitted?

MERS-CoV can be transmitted between animals and people through direct or indirect contact. 

Human-to-human transmission mostly occurs in healthcare facilities and among close contacts. Saudi Arabia has reported approximately 80 per cent of human cases of MERS. The infections mostly occurred as a result of direct or indirect contact with infected dromedary camels or infected individuals in healthcare facilities. 

An infected person's respiratory secretions can spread MERS-CoV to another person. Caring for an infected person or living with one can also spread the virus. 

How can MERS be diagnosed?

MERS can be diagnosed through blood tests, sputum culture, stool culture, chest X-rays, and nasal or throat swabs.

How can MERS be prevented?

MERS can be prevented by practising general hygiene measures when visiting farms, barns, markets or other places where dromedary camels are present. People should wash their hands before and after touching animals, and must avoid contact with sick animals. 

If people consume raw or undercooked animal products, including milk and meat, they are at a high risk of contracting the disease. Therefore, people must cook food properly and consume pasteurised foods. 

The foods which should be consumed after pasteurisation, heat treatments or cooking include camel meat and camel milk. 

Those at greater risk of developing severe disease than others should avoid contact with dromedary camels, and must not drink raw camel or camel urine. 

Other ways to prevent MERS include washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, covering one's nose and mouth with tissue on sneezing, and avoiding personal contact with sick people. 

How can MERS be treated?

No specific treatment or vaccine is available for MERS. When people suffer from severe MERS, they should receive medical care to support vital organ functions. 

Since no medicine is available to cute MERS, people suffering from the disease can receive supportive care which includes pain medicines and bed rest. In case of severe illness, assisted ventilation may be given, or vasopressor medicine to raise blood pressure.