Tourism has once again received a dangerous signal about a new infection that may replace Covid-19. It is Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) or “camel flu”: British doctors seriously fear that thousands of tourists who “came into contact” during the World Cup in Qatar will bring this infection to Europe. Although so far no cases of the disease have been detected in the Old World.
However, the UK’s Health Safety Agency has already urged doctors to monitor people with fever and difficulty breathing. The Sun newspaper, on the basis of doctors, scared the British that almost 1,000 people have already died from “camel flu” in recent years. In general, according to them, “camel flu” is much more deadly than covid, because more than a third of people infected with it die, while in covid this “result” is only 4%. At the same time, in the period from April 2012 to October 2022, 2,600 cases of camel flu were registered in 12 countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, doctors add.
“The risk of infection for UK residents is very low. But now it can grow because of the huge number of fans who have flocked to Qatar for the World Cup and may have been influenced by the camels.” – it is stated in the message of the Agency. The fact is that in the “risk zone” they primarily come into contact with animals or consume products of “camel origin”, including unpasteurized milk. And, according to British doctors, fans are in this risk zone.
“Camel riding is a popular pastime in Qatar among locals and tourists alike, with herds regularly patrolling the promenade near the base of the England Souq Al Wakra hotel,” the paper added, also reporting that fans had been warned to stay away away from animals, precisely because of the danger of contracting a deadly disease. But it is not a fact that everyone obeyed.
And although no cases have yet been identified, the UK’s Health Safety Agency has already warned doctors to be particularly alert to the possibility of MERS in tourists returning from the World Cup. Including difficulty breathing, cough, fever, and even diarrhea and vomiting.
By the way, riding camels is a popular pastime for tourists not only in Qatar, but also in such extremely polar countries of the Middle East as the UAE and Egypt. Therefore, tourists there are also exposed to the risk of infection with camel flu.
We will remind you that the covid that paralyzed tourism also “came” from the animal world, although disputes about the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus continue to this day. However, according to one version, the first host of the current coronavirus was bats, their viruses were actively studied in the Wuhan laboratory. The secret services of various countries are still trying to figure out how the virus leaked. Either a laboratory employee who contracted it from bats spread the infection, or simply the Chinese ate infected mice bought on the market. At least, the “precursor” of covid was found in bats…