If you’re heading off on holiday to the Middle East any time soon, a camel ride is probably near the top of your to-do list. You’re not exactly going to cycle around the pyramids now are you?
Tough luck, however, as the Hong Kong government has warned residents to steer clear of the huge hump-backed creatures following a suspected case of MERS this weekend.
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) named camels as public enemy number one, after a 34-year-old woman returned from a holiday in Dubai with a cough, runny nose and sore throat. Guess what? She’d been riding camels.
“We strongly advise travel agents organising tours to the Middle East not to arrange camel rides and activities involving camel contact, which may increase the risk of infection. In addition, travellers are reminded to avoid going to farms, barns or markets with camels, and avoid contact with animals, especially camels, birds, poultry or sick people during travel,” a spokesman for the DH said.
As well as avoiding getting too cosy with the above animals (note: “sick people” are listed as animals) while away, the CHP is also advising Hongkongers to avoid eating undercooked animal products or anything containing “animal secretions (such as urine)”. That goes without saying, no?
If you follow all these rules and still return from the Middle East with respiratory problems, wear a face mask and seek medical attention.
No MERS cases have so far been recorded in Hong Kong, and the patient is being kept in isolation at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital while she is tested for the infection.
More information on MERS is available here.
Photo: David Dennis via Flickr
