ME/CFS outbreaks

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis is often associated with outbreaks. This leads to the firm belief among many researchers and patient groups that the illness is, at least in its initial forms, a contagious virus or triggered by one or more such viruses.

Especially in early documented cases, the name of the condition varies significantly, even in cases where it is believed by the people attending to it at the time to be a form of polio.

Clusters of symptoms also vary between outbreaks.

1934

 * Los Angeles County Hospital
 * Responsible for the term Atypical Poliomyelitis
 * 198 people infected, including all doctors and nurses

1936

 * St Anges Convent, Fond-du-Lac, Wisconsin
 * Referred to as Encephalitis
 * 53 people infected, all novices and convent candidates

1937

 * Erstfeld, Switzerland and Frohburg, Switzerland
 * Referred to as Abortive Poliomyelitis
 * 158 people infected

1939

 * Harefield Sanatorium in Middlesex, England
 * Referrred to as "Persitent myalgia following sore throat"
 * 7 hospital staff infected


 * Switzerland
 * Referred to as Abortive Poliomyelitis
 * 73 soldiers infected

1945

 * University Hospital of Pennsylvania
 * Referred to as "pleurodynia with prominent neurological symptoms and no demonstrable cause"

1946

 * Iceland in 1946 and 1947
 * Referred to as "Mixed epidemics of poliomyelitis and a disease resembling poliomyelitis with the character of the Akureyri Disease"

1948

 * Three north coast towns in Iceland in 1948-1949
 * Referred to as "A disease epidemic in Iceland simulating Poliomyelitis"
 * 1090 people infected

1949

 * Adelaide, South Australia in 1949-1951
 * Referred to as resembling poliomyelitis.
 * 800 people infected

1950

 * Louisville, Kentuky in 1950
 * Later confirmed as Epidemic Neuromyasthenia.
 * 37 nursing students infected


 * Upper New York State
 * Referred to as resembling Iceland Disease simulating Acute Anterior Poliomyelitis.
 * 19 people infected

1952

 * Middlesex Hospital Nurse's Home in London, England, 1952
 * Referred to as Encephalomyelitis associated with Poliomyelitis Virus
 * 14 nursing students infected


 * Copenhagen, Denmark
 * Referred to as Epidemic Myositis
 * More than 70 people infected


 * Lakeland, Florida
 * Identified as Epidemic Neuromyasthenia
 * 27 people infected

1953

 * Coventry District, England
 * Referred to as "An illness resembling Poliomyelitis"
 * 13 people infected


 * Rockville, Maryland at Chestnut Lodge Hospital
 * referred to as Poliomyelitis-like Epidemic Neuromyasthenia.
 * 50 people infected


 * Jutland, Denmark
 * referred to as "Epidemic Encephalitis with Vertigo."

1954

 * Tallahassee, Florida
 * 450 people infected


 * Seward, Alaska
 * Referred to as Benign Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Iceland Disease)
 * 175 people infected


 * British Army stationed in Berlin, Germany
 * Referred to as a "further outbreak of a disease resembling poliomyelitis."
 * 7 people infected


 * Liverpool, England at Liverpool Hospital


 * Johannesburg, South Africa, through 1955
 * 14 people infected

1955

 * Dalston, Cumbria, England


 * London, England at the Royal Free Hospital
 * Responsible for the terms Benign Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
 * 300 hospital staff infected


 * Perth, Western Australia
 * Referred to as "Virus Epidemic in Recurrent Waves"


 * Gilfach Goch, Wales
 * Referred to as Benign Encephalomyelitis


 * Durban City, South Africa at Addington Hospital
 * Referred to as "The Durban Mystery Disease"
 * 140 people infected


 * Segbwema, Sierra Leone through 1956
 * Referred to as An outbreak of encephalomyelitis


 * Patreksfordur and Thorshofn, Iceland
 * Referred to as Unusual response to poliomyelitis vaccination


 * North West London, England at a residential home for nurses
 * Referred to as acute infective encephalomyelitis simulating poliomyelitis

1956

 * Ridgefield, Connecticut, United States
 * Referred to as an epidemic of neuromyasthenia
 * 70 people infected


 * Punta Gorda, Florida, United States
 * Referred to as Epidemic Neuromyasthenia
 * 124 people infected


 * Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, England
 * Referred to as "lymphocytic meningo-encephalitis with myalgia and rash"


 * Pittsfield and Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States
 * Referred to as Epidemic Neuromyasthenia


 * Coventry, England through 1957
 * Referred to as Epidemic Malaise and Benign Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
 * 7 people infected

1957

 * Brighton, South Australia
 * Referred to as Benign Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Coxsackie, Echo Virus Meningitis, Epidemic Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, and Mylagic Encephalomyelitis

1958

 * Athens, Greece, in a nursing school
 * 27 nursing students infected

1959

 * Newcastle upon Tyne, England
 * Referred to as Benign Myalgic Encephalomylitis

1961

 * A New York State convent (United States)
 * Referred to as Epidemic Neuromyasthenia

1964

 * Northwestern London, England through 1966
 * Referred to as Epidemic Malaise and Epidemic Neuromyasthenia


 * A Franklin, Kentucky factory in the United States
 * Referred to as Neurmyasthenia

1965

 * Galveston County, Texas, United States through 1966
 * Referred to as an Epidemic Neuromyasthenia Variant and Epidemic Diencephalomyelitis

1968

 * Fraidek, Lebanon
 * Referred to as Benign Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

1969

 * State University of New York Medical Centre, United States
 * Referred to as Epidemic Neuromyasthenia and as an unidentified symptom complex

1970

 * Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, United States


 * London, England at the Hospital for Sick Children on Great Oromond Street
 * Referred to as Epidemic Neuromyasthenia

1975

 * Sacramento, California, United States at the Mercy San Juan Hospital
 * 200 hospital staff infected

1977

 * Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, United States
 * Referred to as Epidemic Neuromyasthenia

1979

 * Southampton, England at a girls' school
 * Referred to as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

1980

 * West Kilbridge, Ayrshire, Scotland through 1981
 * Referred to as Myagic Encephalomyelitis


 * Helensburgh, Scotland through 1983
 * Referred to as Coxsackie

1982

 * West Otago, New Zealand through 1984
 * Referred to as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
 * More than 20 people infected

1983

 * Gunnedah, New South Wales, Australia
 * Referred to as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

1984

 * Incline Village in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, United States
 * Responsible for the term Chronic Fatigue Syndrome


 * Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States affecting the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra
 * Referred to as LNKS


 * Montreal, Quebec and Ontario, Canada


 * Truckee, California through 1985

1985

 * Lyndonville, New York, United States


 * Yerington, Nevada, United States at a reservation

1986

 * Placerville, California, United States
 * Later referred to as an "outbreak of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome"

1988

 * Columbia Community College and Sonora, California

1989

 * Rosedale Hopital, Roseville, California

1990

 * Elk Grove, California