This story appeared in the September/October 2020 of Discover magazine as "One in a Million." We hope you’ll subscribe to Discover and help support science journalism at a time when it’s needed the most.
For 2-year-old Farida and her family, the trip to Egypt was a pleasant prelude to what would turn into a hard few months. She spent time with relatives in Cairo, visiting her grandparents for the first time. She enjoyed lots of traditional food. She even went to visit her father’s hometown, a rural area several hours south of Cairo.
But the long getaway, which lasted from after Christmas until early spring, would be the last time her family was able to relax for months. As April rolled around, Farida began running fevers. They began, on and off, without any other symptoms. After two weeks, her mother took her to the family doctor, who prescribed antibiotics for a presumed ear infection. But the fevers didn’t subside.
