#12,369
After a three day lull in reporting cases, the Saudi MOH is back to announce their 2nd case of April - that of a 62 y.o. male from Riyadh, listed in critical condition - who reportedly had `indirect contact' with a camel or camels.
`Direct camel contact' is fairly self-explanatory, while indirect camel exposure has been defined as:
Having visited settings where animals were kept but without having direct contact; or exposure to household members who themselves had direct animal exposure.Camel contact no doubt contributes to the continual `reseeding' of the virus into the human population, as camels have been shown to be both carriers and heavy shedders of the virus. Even with recent camel contact, that route of infection isn't assured, only assumed.
Indirect camel contact is a somewhat `grayer' area, although it is plausible and is often the most likely explanation.
But as 2015's EID Journal: Risk Factors For Primary MERS-CoV Infection, Saudi Arabia, there is still a lot about the transmission of the virus in the community we do not understand.
