Matteo Bassetti sheds light on the so-called “camel flu”, which has come back to talk in conjunction with the World Cup in Qatar
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In recent days, thanks to the World Cup in Qatar, there has also been talk in Italy of MersCoValso known simply as Mers or how Middle East respiratory syndrome and renamed “camel flu“.
Matthew Bassettidirector of the Infectious Diseases Clinic of the San Martino Polyclinic in Genoa, spoke to ‘beraking latest news Salute’ to clarify the risks associated with this syndrome in our country.
What Matteo Bassetti said about Mers
According to Matteo Bassetti, regarding the Mers, in Italy “we have to be quite calm“. The expert then clarified on the so-called “camel flu”: “It is a virus that we have known for 10 years and has never really managed to get out of the Middle East, although there have been clusters in those who went on pilgrimage to Mecca . It is a virus that has very low contagiousness, so the risk from those returning to Europe is difficult. Those in the trade have known Middle East respiratory syndrome for years, it’s an old problem that I don’t think will come back out”.
Photo source: ANSA
Matteo Bassetti, director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic of the San Martino Polyclinic in Genoa, on the occasion of an episode of the show ‘Porta a Porta’ last January.
The risks associated with the World Cup according to Matteo Bassetti
With regard to the World Cup underway in Qatar, Matteo Bassetti added: “Monitoring those returning from those areas is fine, but there is no alarm. It also seems to me that there are few Italians in Qatar, we didn’t participate in the World Cup and so we have to be quite calm”.
The real “problem” according to Matteo Bassetti
According to the director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic of the San Martino Polyclinic in Genoa, the real “problem” to deal with in Italy is another. His words: “We have to focus on the problem we are experiencing today: l’flu-Covid intersection and I would avoid thinking about this virus ‘far away’”.
On Wednesday 14 December, Matteo Bassetti announced on ‘Facebook’ that he had undergone the fourth dose of the anti-Covid vaccine: “I did my duty as a doctor. In fact, I have just received the 2022 Covid booster dose with a bivalent vaccine (what they call the fourth dose). As with all the other three, I’m doing great and I already feel stronger. PS. For the usual skeptical goats who will say that the needle wasn’t there, I say that the needle is. Here I am”.
Photo source: ANSA