Football fans returning to England from the World Cup in Qatar have been advised to watch out for signs of camel flu. But what is MERS and what are the symptoms? Here’s what you need to know.
Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) - referred to by some as camel virus - is a viral respiratory disease caused by Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoV) . It was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Covid-19.
MERS is a zoonotic virus which means it is transmitted between animals and people. It has been identified and linked to human infections in dromedary camels in several member states in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
