Girls in Kenya Exposed to Paralysis Disease Actually Victims of Hysteria
Introduction
Dozens of girls in Kenya who were exposed to a “disease” that caused paralysis were actually victims of hysteria, Kenyan authorities have said.
Mysterious Illness
Over the past week, more than 100 female students have suddenly fallen ill with a mysterious illness, requiring them to be hospitalized.
Location of Incident
The incident happened at St. Teresa Iriga Girls’ Secondary School in Musoli, 374 kilometers (232 miles) northwest of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital.
Disturbing Videos
Disturbing video footage circulating online shows the students struggling to walk and shaking uncontrollably.
The girls were also seen tied to a bed and convulsing in what appeared to be a hospital, in videos said to show the extent of the crisis.
Investigation and Samples
But now local officials have said the spate of mysterious cases was actually caused by hysteria. They blamed students for exam anxiety.
Kenyan health officials immediately launched an investigation into the cause of the outbreak, fearing it could have “catastrophic” consequences if it became contagious.
Blood, stool and urine samples from the infected girls were sent to laboratories.
Local news site Nation Africa, quoting Dr Bernard Wesong, said the samples were taken from the female students who were admitted to four hospitals in the province and transferred to government laboratories where laboratory and sensitive tests were carried out.
A mysterious paralyzing disease is spreading through a Kenyan girls’ school. The authorities are puzzled and trying to find out cause. Although it’s still early days, it has all the signs of mass psychogenic illness.
🧵Let’s look at some similar MPI events:… rice.twitter.com/IqKIrXeOi1
Eregi students were hysterical over the upcoming finals.year exams, Health officials rulehttps://t.co/Kgyz0gVeR8rice.twitter.com/qY9Ikn7WSC
Psychological Problem
The head of the Kakamega County Health Department added: “The results showed that the students did not suffer from any illness. This indicates a psychological problem that could have been caused by panic.”
Boniface Kibaki, minister of education for the Catholic Diocese of Kakamega, speaking to local media ACI Africa, said the students were examined at hospitals and found free of infection.
VIDEO: More than 90 Kenyan schoolgirls hospitalized due to strange illness
More than 90 students from St. Teresa Eregui Girls’ High School in Kenya was taken to various hospitals over a disease that paralyzes lethargy.
Kenyan health authorities say health crisis currently under… rice.twitter.com/vfXAPDDaZ1
No Disease
Adding: “The medical results were negative. There is no disease. It’s more of a psychological problem.”
Mass Psychopathology
Doctors, anthropologists and sociologists who have studied mass hysteria, known medically as mass psychopathology (MPP), have been unable to find a clear explanation for this phenomenon.
Previous cases of mass psychopathology show that women are more vulnerable than men. The condition often begins with one person.
According to Robert Bartholomew, an American sociologist specializing in mass hysteria and social panic, there are two main types of mass psychopathology.
In a research article published in 2013, he stated that the first type is anxiety hysteria, which occurs as a result of severe and sudden stress in a close-knit group.
This is often the result of an unfamiliar unpleasant odor that is considered harmful. Symptoms usually include dizziness, headache, fainting and changes in breathing, but most patients recover within 24 hours.
The second type is motor hysteria, caused by prolonged anxiety with common symptoms including tingling, trembling, difficulty walking, uncontrollable laughter and crying, difficulty communicating and trance-like states.
Source
Source: Daily Mail
