Camelpox virus, the lethal disease that could spread at the World Cup in Qatar

With less than a month to go before the start of the controversial 2022 World Cup at QatarThe country is not only experiencing an international boycott due to the lack of respect for human rights. A new threat is looming over the country which, with a global event such as the World Cup, can expand rapidly. With what has happened in the last three years, the name is already frightening: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that it has a rate of mortality rate of 35%. among infected. For this reason, several countries are already recommending to follow strict hygiene measures and social distance.

The virus is not new, it was first detected in. Saudi Arabia in September 2012. Since then and until last May, the WHO has been aware of 2587 cases y 891 deaths. In other words: this coronavirus kills 35% of infected persons. In this line, 27 countries have reported cases of MERS-CoV, as the disease is called by its acronym. In fact, Europe is not spared from this coronavirus: France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Austria have reported infected persons.

Contact with dromedaries

As far as Qatar is concerned, a opaque country not only in human rights, but also in freedom of the pressthe authorities have communicated 28 cases y seven persons deceased. The latest spike, with one fatality and one ill person, occurred this May.

In all cases, there is a common link: those infected had. direct contact with dromedaries. Specifically, they drank raw milk of these animals. Hence, Middle East respiratory syndrome is popularly known as the ‘.camel virus‘.

Zoonotic and human-to-human transmission.

Different investigations and the WHO itself have confirmed that this coronavirus has an zoonotic transmission. That is, from animals to humans. Studies have shown that the human beings become infected through direct or indirect contact with infected dromedariesalthough the exact route of transmission is still not well known.

“Person-to-person transmission is possible and has taken place predominantly between direct contacts and in healthcare settings. Beyond that, the person-to-person transmission has been limited,” WHO specifies.

How the ‘camel virus’ affects and what measures to take.

MERS is a severe acute respiratory infectious disease. Typical symptoms of ‘camel virus’ include fever, cough and respiratory distress. Pneumonia is common, but patients do not always develop pneumonia, says WHO, which reports that the following have also been reported gastrointestinal symptoms.

Experts recommend that people traveling to Qatar, in addition to keeping a social distance, stay away from camels and dromedaries. It should be noted that one of the typical activities in this country are rides on these animals.

“That is the advice of common sense to reduce the risk of contracting the virus. It is a nasty virus, much more lethal than covid, with a very high mortality rate, and there is currently no effective vaccine,” he warns. Paul Hunterprofessor at the University of East Anglia, in statements to the British newspaper ‘The Sun’.