Nine villagers in Bada village, 90 km northeast of Al-Jouf in the north of the Kingdom, believe they have fallen victim to a ‘'mysterious'' disease over the last few days. It is now feared that more than eight thousand villagers are at risk of being hit by this unknown disease. The local clinic has assured residents that no epidemic diseases have been detected over the past year in the village. The only serious case was of Malta Fever, said Abdullah Al-Bilawi, director of the clinic. He conceded, however, that the limited resources of the clinic do not allow it to detect contagious and epidemic diseases, but maintained that “the clinic staff has not reported any suspected cases of diseases.” A villager said that he took some of those affected to hospitals in Al-Waja, northwest of the Kingdom, where they are still being examined. “My sister was hit by this weird disease and we took her to a hospital in Al-Madina,” said Awayed Al-Bilawi. Her medical report showed that she has an enlarged spleen and liver, in addition to Malta Fever. Most of the villagers hit by the disease are shepherds who developed a sudden rise and fall in body temperature. Villagers suspected they have been infected because of contact with their livestock, but the local clinic could not establish the link with its limited laboratory resources. Fearing the worst, the villagers have called for a well-equipped medical team to be dispatched to them. The disease can only be categorized after a detailed medical examination, said one doctor. According to medical sources, Malta Fever is a zoonosis – an infectious disease in an animal – that can be passed to humans by eating infected meat or drinking the infected milk of an animal. Transmission between humans through sexual contact; or from mother to child, is considered rare, but possible. Symptoms include profuse sweating and joint and muscle pain.
