Rigelian Fever

Rigelian Fever is caussed by a gram-positive bacillus bacterium, which originated in the Rigel system. It is similar to the one that caused the bubonic plague on Earth. It is highly contagious and progresses rapidly.

Symptoms

Symptoms begin with chills and a fever, followed by fear and anxiety. Other symptoms may include vomiting, thirst, unsteady gait, generalized pain, headache, increased pulse and respiration, and hemorrhages under the skin, causing a blackish discoloration. Hearing may be impaired and convulsions, stupor or coma sometimes develop.

Treatment

The Fever is fatal within 7 days unless ryetalyn, a naturally occurring though rare mineral, is administered.

Planet Holberg 917G has ryetalyn deposits, though they contain the impurity irillium, which if not removed negates the antitoxic effectiveness.

Supplemental Note

Doctor Phlox medical log, Enterprise, NX-01, mentions a microorganism he used to inoculate the Enterprise crew when a crewman contracted Rigelian fever after visiting Tessik Prime. As Doctor Phlox was known to use many animals and various naturalistic cures, the exact nature of the simple, one-celled organism used is not known. However, it is known that the organism thrives on isolytic energy.

Thank you to D.R.S. (Ley, Sileen) for helping to write this article.