Oct 11, 2013 03:28 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

As autumn gets underway, health officials have another disease aside from the flu to worry about, and the federal government shutdown only amplifies those worries.

USA Today reported that health experts are concerned about Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS), a disease that has originated in Saudi Arabia from infected bats. As many as 11,000 American Muslims will travel to Mecca, the Saudi city, for the Hajj pilgrimage Oct. 13-18.

Saudi officials have already advised outside citizens against making the trip, especially children, the elderly and pregnant women. However, U.S. health officials will keep a close eye on anyone returning from the Middle East and will monitor closely any potential MERS infections.

With this potential health scare and the impending arrival of flu season, many are worried of how the virtual inactivity of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will affect incoming health concerns. Because of the government shutdown, 9,000 of the CDC's 15,000 employees are home on unpaid leave.

MERS has not reached the same level of severity or spread as SARS did, but the two bear some resemblance. Scientists recently found the true origin of the disease, which so far has affected people already sick the worst, and are now working to put it to an end.

James Blumenstock, chief of public health practice for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said he is worried the absence of so many CDC workers will slow the agencies response to a sickness outbreak of any kind. CDC director Tom Frieden said his agency would respond to emergency situations, but confirmed it would not be as quickly as usual. Other health experts echoed this concern.

"We have been told that that if we needed support for a large-scale event, it would require pulling staff back in, and that the response time could be delayed," said Wendy Braund, Wyoming's state health officer. "That is a very real concern to us."

On its own, the flu is enough to give plenty of Americans reason to be concerned. Like any virus, it can morph itself over time to become immune to certain drugs, leaving scientists and doctors to catch up every so often. While a universal vaccination is "on the way," many experts advise that becoming immunized earlier in the season is beneficial to protecting against the sickness.

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