Chronic fatigue syndrome outbreaks

There have been over fifty documented outbreaks of a disease that was identified as myalgic encephalomyelitis [Parish JG, "Early outbreaks of 'epidemic neuromyasthenia'", Postgraduate Medical Journal, 1978, Vol 54, 711-717] cite book |author=Ramsay AM|title=Postviral Fatigue Syndrome: The Saga of Royal Free Disease |publisher=Gower Medical Publishing |location=New York |year=1986 |pages= |isbn=0-906923-96-4 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=] or chronic fatigue syndrome. This has led to the belief among some 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.Fact|date=September 2008 The history of chronic fatigue syndrome has resulted in a wide variety of names being used to describe the condition.

Outbreaks in chronological order

1934

*Los Angeles County Hospital:198 people infected, including all doctors and nursescite book
author=Roberto Patarca-Montero
title=Medical Etiology, Assessment, and Treatment of Chronic Fatigue and Malaise
publisher=Haworth Press
location=
year=2004
pages=6-7
isbn=078902196X
oclc= |doi=]

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

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

1955

*London, England at the Royal Free Hospital:Responsible for the terms Benign Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis:300 hospital staff infected
*Durban City, South Africa at Addington Hospital:Referred to as "The Durban Mystery Disease":140 people infected

1956

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

*Punta Gorda, Florida, United States:Referred to as Epidemic NeuromyastheniaCitation
last = Clement WB, Gorda P, Henderson DA, Lawrence JW, Bond JO.
first =
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = "Epidemic neuromyasthenia, an outbreak in Punta Gorda, Florida; an illness resembling Iceland disease"
newspaper = The Journal of the Florida Medical Association
pages = 422-6
year = 1958
date = October
url = ] Citation
last = Poskanzer DC, Henderson DA, Kuncle C, Kalter SS, Clement WB, Bond JO
first =
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = "Epidemic neuromyasthenia; an outbreak in Punta Gorda, Florida"
newspaper = The New England journal of medicine
pages = 356-64
year = 1957
date = 22 August
url = ] :124 people infected

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

1958

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

1975

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

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 [Citation
last = Johnston
first = Elizabeth
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = “Town striken by mystery disease”
newspaper = The Australian
pages = 3
year = 1984
date = Mon. Feb. 6, 1984
url = ] [Citation
last = Vol 12
first = No 42
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = “BME challenge and mystery”
newspaper = North West and Hunter Valley Magazine
pages = 1,2,6
year = 1984
date = February 26
url = ]

References