Nodding disease

Nodding disease is a new, little-known disease which has emerged out of the Sudan, where it was first seen in 1997. "Nodding disease" is just a nickname, not the official name for the disorder, because doctors have not yet had a chance to name it. It appears to be a severe mentally- and physically-disabling disease of young children.

Symptoms
The symptoms of nodding disease are very peculiar. When a child is affected by it, his/her growth appears to be completely and permanently stunted. The growth of the brain is also stunted, leading to mental retardation of the victim. The disease also has a symptom from which it gets its name, pathological nodding. This is a seizure which begins when the victim begins to eat food, or when he/she feels cold. As soon as either of these conditions is met, the afflicted will immediately begin to nod; and just as quickly as the seizure begins, it stops after feeding is done or when the victim feels warm again. However, the dynamics of the disease get even stranger, as the victims don't appear to suffer from seizures when they are given an unfamiliar food to eat, for example a candy bar or a snack they haven't eaten before. When they are given an unfamiliar food to eat, it's as if they were perfectly fine; the seizures only occur during feeding when they eat a food with which they are familiar. The seizures may also cause the child to collapse, leading to further injury.

Diagnosis
Diagnosis is not very advanced. One can mostly only take into account the physical symptoms which are the tell-tale nodding seizures of the victims. Stunted growth and mental retardation along with the seizures means there is a high probability the victim is suffering from the disease. Neurological scans may also be used in attempts to diagnose symptoms of the disease in the future.

Prognosis
As the disease is not well known, little is known about the prognosis. It is thought to be a very debilitating disease physically and mentally. While a few children are said to have recovered from it, many have died from the illness. The seizures, as mentioned before, could also cause children to collapse and further injure themselves or die, for example, by falling into an open fire.

Possible causes
It is currently unknown what causes the disease. Some believe it may be a curse which afflicts the children with it. Others believe it may be due to chemicals from the use of biological and chemical weapons in the area. Perhaps the cause is tainted food such as spoiled plants or meats; tainted monkey-meat is especially suspicious. People in the area have also admitted to eating seeds provided by relief agencies meant for planting that are covered in toxic chemicals. Yet another theory is that the disease is connected to a parasitic worm, Onchocerca volvulus, which is carried by a black fly and which causes river blindness. Most victims live close to the Yei River, and it has been concluded that 93% of the victims also carry the parasite.

Prevalence
The disease is currently only known to be prevalent in the Sudan region, where over 300 children are afflicted with it. Due to poor living conditions and poor healthcare in the regions where the disease is prevalent, little is known about the disease, although neurological scans have been performed on some children with it.