Doctors warned of England fans returning from World Cup with camel flu symptoms
England fans returning from the World Cup have been warned about the risks of bringing deadly camel flu home.
Doctors have been put on alert for signs of the fatal flu among Three Lions fans who have landed back from Qatar.
The UK Health Security Agency (HSA) has urged clinicians to look out for people suffering from a fever and breathing difficulties.
MERS is far deadlier than Covid 19 – more than a third of people who catch it die compared to less than 4% of Covid sufferers.
The HAS sent out a briefing note, according to The Sun which states: ‘Clinicians and public health teams should specifically be alert to the possibility of MERS in returning travellers from the World Cup.
‘The risk of infection to UK residents is very low but may be higher in those with exposure to specific risk factors within the region – such as to camels.
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‘MERS can be acquired from close contact with camels or from consuming camel products e.g., unpasteurised camel milk.’
It also warns of ‘person-to-person transmission’ and says that there have already been two cases reported in Qatar this year, both of which had been exposed to camels.
The routine briefing note was issued to directors of public health and directors of infection prevention and control across the NHS as the group stage reached its climax.
There have been 2,600 cases between April 2012 and October 2022 in 12 Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries.
First identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012, MERS is a viral respiratory disease caused by a coronavirus.
It is a zoonotic virus, which means it is transmitted between animals and humans. It is linked to dromedary or one-humped camels in several Middle East, African and South Asian countries.
Camel flu is considered to be a deadlier cousin of COVID-19, having killed up to a third of those who get infected with it. Approximately 35 per cent of cases reported to WHO have died.
It was recently named by the WHO as one of the viruses which have the potential to start a pandemic.
Typical symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath.
Pneumonia is common, but MERS patients may not always develop this condition. Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea, have also been reported among patients, according to WHO.
Severe illness can cause respiratory failure that requires mechanical ventilation or support in an intensive care unit.
Older people, people with weakened immune systems, and those with chronic diseases such as renal disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes appear to be at greater risk of developing severe disease, WHO says.
It is transmitted between animals and people. While studies have shown that humans are infected through direct or indirect contact with infected dromedary camels, the exact route of transmission remains unclear.
Human-to-human transmission is possible and has occurred predominantly among close contacts and in healthcare settings.
As of last night there have been no confirmed cases of camel flu among returning England fans.
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