Cause, cure of nodding syndrome still unknown

Researchers are calling for more investigation into the cause and treatment of nodding syndrome as researchers now link the disease to  absence of certain enzymes in the body that causes energy deficiency.

Six years down the road, the cause and cure of nodding syndrome is still a mystery despite the different research theories that have been published, most of which link the disease  to river blindness and epilepsy.

Professor Kitara David Lagoro from Gulu University,   who has been researching about this disease for the last 12 years disagrees with most publications  especially those linking  the syndrome to epilepsy and river blindness, but rather  relates it to  the absence of  specific enzymes  in the body  which are necessary for production of energy .

He further explains why activities like the presence of local food, cold weather, cold water, starvation and vigorous exercises stimulate  nodding.

Kitara now  says researchers  should instead focus on  finding out why the disease is  clustered  in relation to  time, space, age and geographical location.

Anne Ortibiks  a researcher from the university of Belgium who is in Uganda to Investigate the physiology behind the nodding syndrome, still believes that nodding syndrome is caused by a worm, the same that causes River blindness.

According to a report by world health organisation, the prevalence of both onchocerciasis and epilepsy in the areas affected by Nodding syndrome is high.

With these contradictory findings, Professor Kitara now  calls upon government  to shift focus towards finding means of improving the lives of these patients

 

In South Sudan and northern Uganda, affected populations have a history of internal displacement and living in internally displaced persons camps according to a report by world health organisation.