Low-Level Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus among Camel Handlers, Kenya, 2019

Although seroprevalence of Middle East respiratory coronavirus syndrome is high among camels in Africa, researchers have not detected zoonotic transmission in Kenya. We followed a cohort of 262 camel handlers in Kenya during April 2018-March 2020. We report PCR-confirmed Middle East respiratory coronavirus syndrome in 3 asymptomatic handlers.

Automated summary

Although the seroprevalence of Middle East respiratory coronavirus syndrome is high among camels in Africa, zoonotic transmission has not been detected in Kenya. A study following 262 camel handlers in Kenya from April 2018 to March 2020 found 3 asymptomatic handlers with PCR-confirmed Middle East respiratory coronavirus syndrome.