MELIOIDOSIS

The diseases that puzzle science

An episode from the series PROGRAMMED TO KILL

Synopsis

On June 26, 2010, beneath the humid, tropical soil of a recreational forest in Malaysia, a dangerous killer surreptitiously awaited its victims. On that fateful day, it rose from the ground to infect 21 people, killing 8.

This is the story of one of the world’s least-known tropical ailments: melioidosis. An illness that torments its victims, baffles clinicians, and intrigues scientists. Classified as a biological weapon, melioidosis is a life-threatening disease caused by relatively harmless soil-dwelling bacteria that can remain dormant in a receiver for weeks, months, or even decades, or just kill within 48 hours. And why this happens is still a mystery.

Yet, doctors and scientists are hard at work to unravel the mysteries behind this almost incurable scourge considered a time bomb.