Beware of Camel Spit?


In parts of the Middle East, camels are as commonly kept as dogs are here. But that close relationship has been shown to have public health risks. Camel spit was recently confirmed as a vector for transmission of the MERS coronavirus, which has infected 153 people and killed 64 since last September.

The MERS coronavirus was found in an ailing camel in a barn belonging to the 43-year-old man in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The first definitive confirmation of the MERS coronavirus in the camel provides a “missing link” for disease experts.   —Diane Richard, writer, November 13

**

Image: SPL

Source: DONALD G. McNEIL Jr., “Saudi Arabia: MERS Virus Found in Patient’s Pet Camel,” New York Times, November 11, 2013