Right now it seems that the world has been in a state of chaos ever since the Corona virus outbreak. Some countries are doing a great job and handling it well. Other countries seem to be struggling (looking at you, USA).

One of the countries that is doing a fantastic job of keeping the number of infected people low is Saudi Arabia. It almost seems like they’ve been through this before.

It’s because they have been through something like this before. Back in 2012, Saudi Arabia was hit with an outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Virus, or MERS for short.

It was a new virus, many people were infected, and it was a stressful time for the country. Instead of letting it “run its course” so to speak, the government took swift action. Places closed down. Some public transportation stopped. Specialists were brought in to give advice on how to handle this situation. After this, the number of new cases started to fall.

Do you know what caused the MERS outbreak in the MENA region?

Camels.

While the rate of transmission from person-to-person is low, it is very easy to catch this illness from camels. Saudi people love their camels, so it isn’t unusual to see them hugging and kissing these gentle giants often. But seriously, how can you blame them? Is it even possible to get close to a camel and not kiss it?

Hope you all are healthy and well. Let’s pray this virus passes quickly, and we can all return to our normal lives soon.

Salaam,

KC