A strange disease characterized by coughing and inflamed tonsils has hit 55 students of a school in the Saudi area of Surat Obeid, raising the fears of local people, reported the Gulf News.
The concerned medical authorities have come out with contradictory reports about the source of virus that causes the disease.
Some reports say it is meningitis, and several doctors relate the outbreak to water tanks, but the Ministry of Agriculture has rejected all of these theories, said the paper.
The head of the medical team following up on the source of the disease, Tariq Al Azraqi, confirmed that the virus had not yet been identified.
He added that samples of blood and saliva had been obtained from students for testing, but that no dangerous cases had been found.
"Coughing and inflamed tonsils are the main symptoms, but there is no alarming situation, as students have been responding to medical treatment within two days,” he said, adding that the age of the patients were between seven and 20.
Minister of Preventive Health Yaagoub Al Mazro has reassured citizens of the city that the disease is neither dangerous nor contagious, and that no deaths have been reported, nor have any cases been referred to intensive care, the paper quoted him as saying.
He blamed well water used in schools for the spread of the disease – Albawaba.com
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