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Nodding Syndrome in Uganda & South Sudan

Desdinova

Senior Member
Messages
276
Location
USA
"Initially, the CDC suspected it might be a psychogenic episode - something like mass hysteria. But brain scans quickly confirmed that they were dealing with a disease that causes measurable brain atrophy".

Doesn't surprise me at all psychological illness tends to be the run to diagnosis for westernized medicine. If this wasn't happening somewhere remote like Africa (central America, South America and Remote areas of Asia and the South Pacific). I doubt that they would have done much digging or listening for that matter and have simply stuck with "psychogenic episode" or mass hysteria. At least until the body count was so in there face like it was with Aids, that you couldn't ignore it anymore.
 
Messages
13,774
Wow - they suspected something like mass hysteria in 2009? From just your quote I assumed they were talking about in the 1970s, but in context it looks like they were talking about the start of the CDC's investigations in 2009. How lucky there was clear evidence of measurable brain atrophy!

I was listening to a radio documentary about this a while back, and it sounds pretty terrible. Hopefully research will move forward more quickly now.
 

Little Bluestem

All Good Things Must Come to an End
Messages
4,930
More Psychobabble in Le Roy, NY, USA

This time it is mass psychogenic illness. The really disgusting thing is that the principle will not allow testing for environmental toxins on the school grounds. People are afraid their property values would go down.
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
Mass hysteria in 2009 - looking more like mass hysteria in the psychobabble brigade.
 
Messages
5,238
Location
Sofa, UK
"Nodding Syndrome targets children exclusively"

"Nodding Syndrome shows no indication of being transmitted from person to person"

"like several other neurological disorders, Nodding Syndrome remains a complete mystery"

Hmm...how could one possibly explain a novel phenomenon like this, in terms of epidemiology, I wonder? What could possibly be causing it, if it isn't transmitted from person to person? What kind of factors might affect only children? What a mystery...I'm afraid I doubt this one will be solved quickly...:(
 

SilverbladeTE

Senior Member
Messages
3,043
Location
Somewhere near Glasgow, Scotland
Kids...environmental or, hormonal then?
toxic materials in child's food perhaps, contaminated batches of imported food for children?

it could be a widespread disease but only kids suffer a harmful effect because at their development, differing hormones to adults may trigger some other effect, autoimmue or not enough resistance or toxic combination
Life is complex, we don't know stuff all in reality ;)
 

natasa778

Senior Member
Messages
1,774
Oh if it is not just mass hysteria then it must be just genetic. It has always been around in same numbers in those countries, they just didn't notice it.

If the numbers keep rising it will mean they just got better at diagnosing.