Abu Dhabi: A member of the Federal National Council told Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water, his words did little to allay camel breeders’ concerns over a deadly disease that kills hundreds of camel every month in central Sharjah.

Mosabeh Saeed Al Katbi, a member from Sharjah, said more than 400 camel deaths every month certainly raise concern and require immediate action.

“When faced with a deadly camel disease that has no known cure and kills more than 400 camels every month in Al Madam and Al Dhaid, authorities must take serious action to fight it and not just dismiss its existence. It exists and a laboratory must be set up to examine infected camels and find proper treatment,” Al Katbi said.

Bin Fahd said there had been natural camel deaths and the ministry did not receive any reports of an unusually high number of deaths in camels.

In December, the minister sent a letter to the House in which he allayed fears of the deadly coronavirus (Mers-CoV) amid the backdrop of reports that camel herds had been killed in the central area of the UAE.

Bin Fahd said the camel deaths may have been caused by improper transportation of herds or the consumption of badly stored fodder which caused poisoning.

He said it is believed the wet fodder may have been contaminated by poisonous fungi — as a wet environment is ideal for the growth of fungus — and that this caused the animals’ sudden death.

The ministry also urged camel owners to store animal fodder in well-ventilated places to avoid rotten fodder and the growth of fungi.

The House passed a motion to set up a laboratory to examine infected camels and provide treatment.

Lab testing

The UAE has increased laboratory testing capacity to detect camels infected with the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Dr Bin Fahd said.

“More than 3,342 camel shipments were examined for Mers-CoV and those tested positive for the virus were quarantined and not allowed to be imported into the country,” Dr Bin Fahd said in a letter sent to the House.

The UAE has two laboratories to detect Mers-CoV in Al Ghuwaifat and Khatam Al Shaklah and a third laboratory is being set up in Mazyad.

Mers, a coronavirus similar to the Sars virus, has proved fatal to about 30 per cent of those who have contracted it.

It is related to the common cold as well as Sars, which caused widespread panic during an outbreak in 2003.

The World Health Organisation has called Mers a “threat to the entire world” as scientists struggle to understand the mysterious disease.

Mers causes an acute respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, a cough and shortness of breath.

Health warning

Pneumonia has often been recorded in victims and Mers has also caused kidney failure.

Saudi Arabia has issued a health warning to anyone handling camels over Mers, advising them to limit contact, wash their hands and wear face masks and gloves.

The risk of transmission from person to person seems very low but there are fears the virus could mutate to a more contagious strain.

The World Health Organisation is recommending increased vigilance in the Middle East and airports and infectious controls to stop the disease spreading where it is found.

No travel or trade restrictions have yet been imposed but they are a possibility if the infection rate worsens.