MERS-CoV : 'Camel disease' that is related to Covid

Shamo Ali, a herdsman, leads his camels to a community water point at Horr Gutha Springs in North Horr, Marsabit County. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

Individuals in pastoral regions are advised to be keen as they interact with stock to avoid contracting diseases, among them the Middle East Respiratory (MERS) syndrome.

MERS is a zoonotic disease caused by MERS-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a virus that infects both animals and humans, with close linkage to camels. MERS was first reported in humans in Saudi Arabia in 2012. MERS-CoV is related to both SARS-CoV which emerged in Hong Kong in 2002 and SARS-CoV-2 which is responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic.