UK health chiefs have issued a warning to look out for the symptoms of 'camel flu' as football fans return from the World Cup in Qatar to the UK. The disease, formally known as Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers) can cause fever, coughing diarrhea and vomiting, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
Symptoms can also look like a cold, flu or Covid. Anyone who has the symptoms after returning from Qatar should seek medical help and make doctors aware of your travel history.
A third of people diagnosed with Mers have died, and there is no specific cure or treatment.
UKHSA has warned UK medics to watch out for potential symptoms, reports The Times. A UKHSA briefing note reads: "The risk of infections 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."
People visiting Qatar may have come into contact with camels at tourist locations, by riding the animals or by drinking camel milk. You can also contract it by contact with an infected person.
Mers is closely related to the Sars virus that causes Covid. Five instances of Mers have been reported in the UK over the years, most recently in 2018.
