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Glite Dictionary
camel flu

camel flu

6.7
A lung disease caused by a virus that people can catch from camels
  • noun
  • /ˈkeɪməl flu/
  • Specialized
translation icon : gripe de camello
  • He contracted camel flu after coming into contact with infected camels at a farm.

Examples

  • The recent outbreak of camel flu in the region has prompted increased health screenings at airports.

  • Researchers are studying how camel flu spreads from animals to humans.

  • The outbreak of camel flu was alarming.

  • Many tourists were concerned about camel flu in the region.

  • He contracted camel flu after coming into contact with infected camels at a farm.

  • Researchers are studying how camel flu spreads from camels to humans.

  • The recent outbreak of camel flu in the region has prompted health authorities to issue warnings.

Synonyms

MERS
vscamel flu
  • Specialized
11 7.2

A serious lung disease caused by a virus that often passes from camels to people

is the informal common name used outside medical contexts
Middle East respiratory syndrome
vscamel flu
  • Specialized
4.0

A viral illness that causes fever, cough, and breathing problems and often spreads from camels to people

is the informal common label used in everyday language

How Severe

Ebola
  • Specialized
4.8
SARS
  • Specialized
69 3.7
camel flu
  • Specialized
6.7
flu
354 1.0
common cold
17 1.1

Surface Forms

camel flu singular
camel flus plural

Morphology

camel + flu

The compound directly combines 'camel' and 'flu' to denote a type of influenza associated with camels, so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a flu transmitted by or originating from camels. This animal+disease composition is cross-linguistically common and follows transparent compositional patterns, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Camel flu comes from outbreaks where people caught a virus after close contact with camels, so people pictured a camel spreading the flu to humans. So camel flu now means 'a disease that affects the lungs and is passed from camels to people'.