Singapore - Two Singaporeans returned from a holiday in Saudi Arabia with a rare illness from drinking camel's milk, the health ministry said in a published report on Saturday.

The pair ended up in a hospital for three weeks with brucellosis accompanied by a stubborn fever, the ministry said. They recovered following a regimen of antibiotics.

The cause of their illness was identified as fresh camel's milk infected with the brucella bacteria, The Straits Times said.

The travellers consumed the milk while on separate tours after performing the haj or Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca last December. They became sick three to four months later.

Areas considered high risk for the illness include Central Asia, the Middle East, Central America and Eastern Europe, the ministry said.

The incubation period of the brucella bacteria can last up to 60 days.

People usually catch the illness after consuming unpasteurized milk or dairy products from infected cows, goats, sheep and animals.

Those who have returned from high-risk areas and have eaten such products should be on the lookout for symptoms, the ministry advised.

Brucellosis is so rare that the two were only the second and third individuals known to have come down with the disease in Singapore. (dpa)