‘I never had such fever’: UAE expat recalls 20-day struggle with centuries-old disease

As 42-year-old Majeed Muhammad struggled with a severe bloodstream infection for 20 long days, he thought he wouldn't make it. He was diagnosed with acute meningococcemia, a deadly disease that has been around since the 1800s.

Muhammad remembered going to Lifecare Hospital, Musaffah, feeling weak and in pain — made worse by a high fever that didn't subside with over-the-counter medicines.

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“I never had such fever. I was suffering from muscle pain, dizziness, and severe pain in my feet," the Abu Dhabi resident said. "When I developed breathing problems, I thought I may not recover at all."

Doctors who saw him at the emergency room were both alarmed and confused as they observed his symptoms.

“The patient was quite sick. He came to the emergency room with a fever and significant hypotension (low blood pressure) — indicating shock," said Dr Baiju Faizal, internal medicine consultant at Lifecare Hospital, Musaffah.

"However, preliminary investigations did not reveal common reasons for shock. We suspected sepsis (a condition where the body does not respond to an infection). The mild purple skin colour change on his feet aroused the suspicion of meningococcal infection,” Dr Faizal said.

His condition gradually worsened and started affecting multiple organs.

Things took a drastic turn when he suddenly developed various conditions, including acute kidney failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, abnormal blood clotting in blood vessels, and gangrene of the toes.

What is meningococcemia?

Meningococcal disease was first discovered in 1805, dreaded because of its epidemic nature. In the last decade of the 19th century, the concept of serum therapy for toxin-related bacterial diseases was identified.

This concept was applied to meningococcal disease therapy in an independent way, resulting in the first successful approach for the treatment of the disease. During the first three decades of the 20th century, serum therapy was the standard treatment for meningococcal disease.

To rule out doubts, the medical team ran all necessary tests, which showed evidence of renal failure, high blood lactate, and elevated blood counts.

Later, Dr Seema Oommen, consultant microbiologist at Burjeel Medical City, confirmed their suspicions about the presence of Neisseria meningitidis, a bacterium that causes meningococcemia.

Acute meningococcemia is a highly complicated infection that affects multiple organs like the blood vessels, brain, kidneys, and adrenal glands, doctors said. This disease, declared as endemic in certain regions, has been controlled through vaccinations across the globe.

“Muhammad showed Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC), a severe outcome of meningococcemia, which produced both clots and bleeding. The small clots called microthrombi brought damage to his feet,” said Dr Faizal.

Dr Faizal was aided by Dr Abeesh Pillai, consultant nephrologist; Dr Ashraf Talat, critical care head; Dr Priyanka Gupta, critical care physician; Dr Mathew Vadukoot L, specialist gastroenterology; Dr Muhammed Noufal, specialist pulmonologist; and the surgical team comprising Dr Bibek Chakrabarthy, specialist general surgery; Dr Mittu John, specialist general surgery; and Dr Prathap Potula, consultant vascular surgery.

How the bacteria was transmitted

Despite the highly complicated situation, Muhammad made a recovery under the guidance of the expert team.

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