Killer MERS virus could be brought back to the UK by thousands of Muslims making the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, warn health officials
- Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS) is rife in Saudi Arabia
- The virus is considered one of the most urgent threats to humanity by the WHO
- Public Health England says it is remaining ‘vigilant’ over the spread of MERS
- It fears cases could be imported by British Muslims making the pilgrimage
A killer virus may be brought back to the UK by thousands of Muslims making the pilgrimage to Mecca, health officials fear.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS), carried by camels, is rife in Saudi Arabia – home of the holy Islamic city.
The virus, which kills a third of those it strikes, is named as one of 10 urgent threats to humanity by the World Health Organization.
And now Public Health England has revealed it is remaining ‘vigilant’ in the face of the outbreak, with fears cases could be imported.
MERS often leaves patients battling symptoms of a common cold – but it can lead to pneumonia and kidney failure, which can both prove deadly.
It can be spread by touching infected camels or other humans struck down by the bug, although it is poorly understood by virologists.
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS) is rife in Saudi Arabia, home of the holiest Islamic city (pictured: Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba and pray at the Grand mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca)
PHE said no reported increase in travel-related cases of MERS has been noted across the world after last year’s Hajj.
Nearly four million Muslims from around the world take part in the Hajj each year, including an estimated 25,000 from the UK.
However, PHE said the virus has been ‘imported to countries outside of Saudi Arabia following return from Umrah’.
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The Umrah is a lesser pilgrimage to Mecca that can be performed at any time, not just during Dhu al Hijja, the last month of the Islamic calendar.
This year’s Hajj, which every Muslim has to do at least once in their life, will take place this year between August 19 and August 24.
Nearly 2,230 cases of MERS and 791 deaths have been reported to the WHO since it was first identified in 2012.
Nearly four million Muslims from around the world take part in the Hajj each year, including an estimated 25,000 from the UK (pictured: Muslim pilgrims arrive to cast stones at a pillar, symbolizing the stoning of Satan, in a ritual called ‘Jamarat’, a rite of the annual Hajj)
The Umrah is a lesser pilgrimage to Mecca that can be performed at any time, not just during Dhu al Hijja, the last month of the Islamic calendar (pictured: Muslim pilgrims arriving to cast stones at a pillar symbolising the stoning of Satan)
WHAT IS MERS?
The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus is viral respiratory illness that was recently recognized in humans.
The virus kills around four in 10 patients. It was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
Since, cases have cropped up in other countries, including the US, UK and several countries in Europe.
Patients tend to show symptoms, such as a fever, cough or diarrhoea, about five days after being infected.
People are more susceptible to MERS if they have pre-existing medical conditions, such as diabetes.
Individuals with weakened immune systems – such as those on HIV drugs – are also at higher risk of getting MERS.
The most at-risk are:
- recent travelers from the Arabian Peninsula
- people who have had close contact, such as caring for or living with, an ill traveler from the Arabian Peninsula
- people who have had close contact, such as caring for or living with, a confirmed case of MERS
- healthcare personnel who do not use recommended infection-control precautions
- people who have had contact with camels
The Arabian Peninsula is the main area to have been rocked by cases, with more than 90 per cent of them recorded in Saudi Arabia.
However, MERS has also been confirmed in Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Cases have been exported to countries outside of the Middle East, including the UK, Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
The most recent was identified in January 2018, a Malaysian Umrah pilgrim, who had visited a camel farm while in Saudi Arabia.
Arabian camels are known to be a host of the virus, and are considered to be the most likely source of infection in sporadic human cases.
PHE has now urged all travellers to the Middle East to avoid contact with camels ‘as much as possible’.
But it argued the risk of infection with the killer virus for UK residents travelling to the Middle East remains very low.
In a statement, PHE said: ‘The most recent annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, known as the Hajj, took place between 30 August and 4 September 2017. This took place with no reported increase in travel related cases.
‘However, cases of MERS-CoV have been imported to countries outside of Saudi Arabia following return from Umrah, a minor pilgrimage, as illustrated by the most recent Malaysian case.
‘PHE remains vigilant and closely monitors developments in the Middle East.’
The WHO named MERS in its annual list of 10 killer viruses that pose the most urgent threat to humanity back in February.
Ebola and Zika, which both have caused brutal pandemics in the past four years, were also named amid fears they could strike again.
And for the first time ever, ‘Disease X’ – representing a pathogen currently unknown to scientists – was mentioned by the WHO.
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