review · One Health
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, known as MERS-CoV, presents a clear model for applying One Health approaches to disease management. Dromedary camels serve as the primary animal reservoir, shedding the pathogen through bodily secretions such as nasal discharges. Under favourable temperature and humidity levels, the virus can remain active in the environment, maintaining transmission cycles in endemic regions. Direct contact with infected camels represents a major risk factor for transmission to humans. Consequently, lowering viral shedding from camels is a crucial mechanism for diminishing human exposure. Targeted control approaches focus on key livestock handling environments that drive viral amplification and spread, including camel markets, shows, cross-border importation, transit routines, and grazing systems.
MERS-CoV is a serious viral threat transmitted from animals to humans. Because dromedary camels sustain the virus and shed it into environments where people work, targeting how camels are managed, transported, and traded can directly reduce transmission. Applying a One Health approach helps public health authorities and livestock managers address the animal source before the virus spills over into human populations.
The abstract outlines strategic control concepts rather than a commercial product or technical tool. Potential applications relate to veterinary health management protocols, biosecurity programmes, and regulatory guidelines for camel markets, transport, and shows. The work represents conceptual or early-stage policy design, with no specific commercial device, vaccine, or diagnostic test described in the text.
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The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) presents an ideal example for developing One Health concepts. Dromedary camels are the principal reservoir for the virus. Infected camels shed the virus in body secretions, particularly nasal discharges. MERS-CoV has the potential to remain active in the environment for some time under optimum conditions of temperature and humidity. This shedding sustains the virus in endemic communities and thus contact with camels is considered a major risk factor for human infection. Reducing virus shedding from camels will have a great positive impact on reducing the human risk of infection. Our main objective is to highlight the potential aspects of reducing virus shedding from camels to the environment, thereby reducing the possibility of human infection. We will focus on the potential roles of camel markets, camel shows, importation, transportation and grazing in the amplification and shedding of the virus, providing some novel concepts for the control approaches for the MERS-CoV.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2019.100102
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