The sick children are Bedouin. Until recently their ancestors were nomads who roamed the deserts of the Middle East and, as tradition dictated, often married cousins. Marrying within the family helped strengthen bonds among extended families struggling to survive the desert. But after centuries this custom of intermarriage has had devastating genetic effects.

Sounds like the things from the new hills have eyes are forming in the middle east. If they keep breeding them like this, I wonder if they'd turn into some sort of eyeless beast wandering the desert in a few more centuries.

A Hunt for Genes That Betrayed a Desert People - New York Times