Camel flu is the new risk in Qatar amid FIFA fever ?

CHENNAI: One of the eye catching events, the FIFA World Cup 2022, holds more than 1 million fans which is scheduled till mid-December.

Meanwhile, WHO-backed experts have warned that FIFA World Cup may attract Camel flu or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which can be deadlier than Covid-19. Camel flu was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

The flu has also been listed as one of eight potential 'infection risks', including Covid and monkeypox, which could crop up during the four-week long World Cup.

According to sources, camel flu virus is zoonotic, and it may spread between humans and animals. Coming in contact with an infected person, whether direct or indirect, can result in transmission of the human infection.

Some of the common symptoms of the flu are fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. Diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal symptoms have also been noted in MERS patients. The mortality rate of this flu is nearly 35%.

A study published in the New Microbes and New Infections journal has shed light on this. The paper titled "Infection risks associated with the 2022 FIFA world cup in Qatar" was published on November 22.

Professor Patricia Schlagenhauf, an epidemiologist from the WHO's Collaborating Centre for Travellers' Health, and team said this applied to Qatar and neighbouring countries. The camel flu could also be exported to other countries because of the sheer amount of fans who've travelled to Qatar to watch the tournament, the experts suggested.

MERS was recently named by the WHO as one of the viruses with the potential to start a pandemic in the future.