Mar 28, 2015 05:04 AM
(This post was last modified: Mar 28, 2015 05:33 AM by Yazata.)
A small Kazakh town named Kalachi is experiencing an epidemic of a weird sleeping sickness.
About 1/4 of the town has been struck at one time or another, often suddenly in the middle of whatever they are doing like walking down the street, where they fall to the ground asleep and sometimes sleep for as much as a week.
In some cases, unconsciousness isn't total, resulting in mental lethargy, disorientation and unsteadiness outwardly similar to drunkenness. When people eventually wake up, they also experience the disorientation symptoms and some report hallucinations. All the physicians can do is nurse them while they are asleep.
Last September, eight school children in one class were struck within an hour.
Interestingly, it's reported that a cat showed symptoms, suddenly becoming hyperactive and attacking people, then falling asleep.
Local doctors and specialists from Russia have been all over this, but have been unable to discover the cause. Bacterial and viral tests came up negative. Apparently it comes in waves and seems to be most prevalent when the ground was previously frozen and there is a thaw.
Locals suspect that it's the result of an old Soviet era uranium mine nearby. Investigators have discovered a high level of radon in the soil, but don't think that's related to the symptoms.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...tmare.html
It's pretty clearly a neurological problem of some sort that apparently effects mammal nervous systems in general, judging from the stricken cat. The thawing ground thing makes me think that there may be some kind of environmental toxin in the soil. It might not be the uranium mine, but I'd guess that it's the leftovers of some old Soviet-era chemical pollution.
I hope that there aren't any lasting symptoms of brain damage such as cognitive deficits.
About 1/4 of the town has been struck at one time or another, often suddenly in the middle of whatever they are doing like walking down the street, where they fall to the ground asleep and sometimes sleep for as much as a week.
In some cases, unconsciousness isn't total, resulting in mental lethargy, disorientation and unsteadiness outwardly similar to drunkenness. When people eventually wake up, they also experience the disorientation symptoms and some report hallucinations. All the physicians can do is nurse them while they are asleep.
Last September, eight school children in one class were struck within an hour.
Interestingly, it's reported that a cat showed symptoms, suddenly becoming hyperactive and attacking people, then falling asleep.
Local doctors and specialists from Russia have been all over this, but have been unable to discover the cause. Bacterial and viral tests came up negative. Apparently it comes in waves and seems to be most prevalent when the ground was previously frozen and there is a thaw.
Locals suspect that it's the result of an old Soviet era uranium mine nearby. Investigators have discovered a high level of radon in the soil, but don't think that's related to the symptoms.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...tmare.html
It's pretty clearly a neurological problem of some sort that apparently effects mammal nervous systems in general, judging from the stricken cat. The thawing ground thing makes me think that there may be some kind of environmental toxin in the soil. It might not be the uranium mine, but I'd guess that it's the leftovers of some old Soviet-era chemical pollution.
I hope that there aren't any lasting symptoms of brain damage such as cognitive deficits.
