Posted on 05/18/2006 7:32:15 AM PDT by Larousse2
OUTBREAK! Border mystery disease: Is huge scare even real? Symptoms include persistent lesions, fibers popping out of skin, brain fog
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: May 18, 2006 1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Ron Strom
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Fibers removed from facial lesion of 3-year-old boy
A nonprofit foundation is working to drum up awareness of a border-area mystery disease that's been described as something out of a horror film, but which most mainstream doctors refuse to admit exists.
The Morgellons Research Foundation hopes to inform lawmakers and public-health officials of the disease to try to work toward an eventual cure.
As WorldNetDaily reported, Morgellons disease, a mysterious infection seemingly similar to one documented 300 years ago, is spreading throughout South Texas. While the disease has not been known to kill and doesn't appear to be contagious, it's the horrible symptoms that have some working feverishly to find an effective treatment.
The South Texas outbreak's proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border comes at a time when the issues of illegal immigration, border security and possible amnesty for over 12 million illegal aliens are being debated in the U.S.
According to the foundation's website, symptoms include skin lesions that do not heal, a crawling sensation on the surface of the skin, fatigue, cognitive difficulties and, perhaps the most disturbing, fibers popping out of the skin.
Fibers removed from facial lesion of 3-year-old boy
States the site: "[The fibers] are generally described by patients as white, but clinicians also report seeing blue, green, red, and black fibers, that fluoresce when viewed under ultraviolet light (Wood's lamp)."
Travis Wilson, a Morgellons sufferer for over a year, once called his mother in to see a fiber coming out of a lesion in his chest.
"It looked like a piece of spaghetti was sticking out about a quarter to an eighth of an inch long and it was sticking out of his chest," Lisa Wilson told the San Antonio Express-News. "I tried to pull it as hard as I could out and I could not pull it out.
"He'd have attacks and fibers would come out of his hands and fingers, white, black and sometimes red. Very, very painful," said Wilson.
A variety of other symptoms range from neurological and gastrointestinal problems to changes in skin pigment. Some people have also reported black, tarry beads of sweat.
While it's impossible to know how many Americans – who appear to be concentrated in California, Texas and Florida – suffer with the disease, the foundation says thousands with one or more symptom have registered with it.
Even so, most of the medical community don't see the disease as real, with some doctors telling patients it's all in their head.
"They (doctors) told me I was just doing this to myself, that I was nuts. So basically I stopped going to doctors because I was afraid they were going to lock me up," said sufferer Stephanie Bailey.
A big question medical professionals are wrestling with is how victims come down with the disease.
"It is difficult to say whether Morgellons is contagious," states the FAQ page on the foundation's site. "Many of our group have family members who exhibit no symptoms whatever. On the other hand, many entire families have reported becoming infected at or near the same time. At this juncture, it remains unclear if these households with multiple infected members reflect contagion, due to human-to-human transmission, or some type of mutual exposure."
The name for the disease comes from a condition involving "black hairs" emerging from the skin of children, which was documented in France in the 1600s. While experts say it is doubtful the modern-day disease is linked to the 17th century occurrences, the name was chosen, says the Morgellons Foundation, to provide "a consistent label when addressing politicians, physicians and health departments."
Mary Leitao is executive director of the Morgellons Foundation. She became involved several years ago when her 2-year-old son began exhibiting symptoms.
"The goal of the foundation is to find a cure for Morgellons disease," Leitao told WND. "The other goal is to determine the cause."
Leitao explained that Randy Wymore, Ph.D., of Oklahoma State University is working on getting research work started at the school.
"His goal is to see patients and to investigate it medically and scientifically," Leitao said.
One obstacle, she explained, is that there is not a diagnostic test for Morgellons disease. Even so, Leitao stressed that the skin lesions with fibers appears to be a symptom that links nearly all victims.
"If a physician is able to view these skin lesions under magnification, they may see these fibers," Leitao said.
Since the disease is hard to pin down, treatments vary widely.
Said Leitao: "Some physicians are treating it with pretty high-dose antibiotics. Others are using other meds, including pain medications. It can be a very uncomfortable disease for people."
Leitao said officials at the Centers for Disease Control are "not sure there's a situation going on here" so are reticent to take action.
"I don't think the CDC has heard from enough physicians, because many physicians don't recognize the illness," she said. "They just think the illness is psychosomatic."
Leitao stressed she is committed to finding a cure because of the devastation she has seen in the lives of victims. Many no longer work because of the brain fog that often accompanies the disorder.
"They can't mentally focus on tasks," she said. "They're extremely fatigued and severely depressed – in addition to the skin symptoms."
Indeed, Travis Wilson committed suicide three weeks ago.
"I knew he was going to kill himself, and there was nothing I could do to stop him," his mother said.
Dr. Adelaide Hebert of the University of Texas Health Science Center Houston is unconvinced Morgellons is an actual medical disorder.
"I think if we look at what is truly evidence-based medicine, what has been proven based on scientific fact we know we don't have a means to substantiate [Morgellons]," Hebert told KVUE-TV.
Hebert believes Morgellons exists only in the patient's mind.
"Many of these patients do have delusion of parasitosis," Hebert is quoted as saying. "It is actually not uncommon to have patients come in and describe the sensation that something is crawling on their skin."
Ginger Savely is a nurse practitioner in Austin, Texas, who has documented over 100 incidents of Morgellons.
"[Sufferers] can't get anybody to help them in the medical profession. It's just a nightmare, a living nightmare. I can't imagine any worse disease," she told the TV station.
Some doctors who do recognize the disorder as a medical disease sit on the Medical Advisory Board of the Morgellons Research Foundation.
Says Gregory V. Smith, M.D., a member of the board: "This disorder is much more common than anyone suspects. … During the course of my practice activity, I have seen numerous children … a minimum of three children daily in my office with suspicious skin lesions."
Adds another board member, William T. Harvey, M.D.: "The Morgellon's phenomenon is real. It is also clearly devastating, life-shortening and infectious. I have observed the herald lesions microscopically with their central fibers in dozens of patients."
Leitao remains hopeful for a cure – not only for her own son but countless others.
"It's a bizarre disease; I will admit to that," Leitao said. "But it's a real disease and the people need real help."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related offers:
The deadliest germs on Earth
Are vaccines hazardous to your health?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous stories:
Mystery disease hits South Texas
Are illegals making U.S. a leper colony?
Ron Strom is a news editor for WorldNetDaily.com.
About 3 years ago two teens from mexico brought TB to a local High School. Everybody in that schools had to be tested.
I suspect that Cancun and Cozumel, which is where most people go touring in Mexico, is probably a lot better regulated and cleaner than the rural areas and the vast slums of Mexico City.
ping
I brought all my immunizations up-to-date because I taught foreign students.
If one would like to be sick 9-10 months out of the year, just go teach or regularly volunteer in any U. S. Public School (sarcasm).
While immunizations are required of all students entering U. S. Public Schools, the trips/return visits to the native countries of origin are of major concern to me.
I hope she was sufficently plied with psycho-tropic medications and labeled "neurotic." (major sarcasm!)
Nosocomial infections (those acquired in the hospital), are a different animal. They are "caused" by medical intervention (i.e. surgical infection, bladder infection caused by a catheter, pneumonia while intubated on a ventilator), and infect a very susceptible patient who's immune system is compromised either by their disease state (like AIDS, cancer, etc.), medications, or just being ill.
Yes, they are on the increase. Part of it is poor medical practice of indiscriminate antibiotic prescribing, part of it is the increased use of high tech, very invasive medical procedures, and part of it is our ability to simply keep people in weakened states alive so much longer - they are reservoir pools for bugs that hang around health care facilities. Note that the doctors and nurses do not acquire nosocomial infections, only the patients.
Thankx. I thought I had remembered an episode on "X-File" telling of a similar disease.
I hope you're okay and doing better now!
I keep thinking how important it is for me to do all I can to try to stay as healthy as possible.
Best of luck to you:-)
Thanks for the link!
Again, that MMR vaccine made me sick as a dog, but I'm so glad I had it updated!
Thanks for posting this item.
I know I need to check my WHO booklet to determine the last time I had a TINE test.
Sure, if they haven't been innoculated. Most US citizens are, and most LEGAL immigrants require innoculations as I recall. And often, depending on where you're going, US requires you to get innoculated before leaving our country...
From what I read, the syndrome is related to Lyme disease and bipolar disorder. It appears the fibers are cellulose. Very intriguing.
Thanks so much for your reply.
I know I sat and shook my head after reading the article.
Is it me, folks?
Lyme Disease and Bi-Polar links?
Heavenly Days! What a combination. Is it an either-or proposition, or how are they linked, or have you found out yet?
Please let me know what you can find out.
Thank you so very much:-)!
And they are of concern to me, as well. A nearby community employs hundreds of Mexicans in the turkey plant. Every year, after Christmas, there is an outbreak of Hepatitis A in the school system there. Hepatitis A viruses are shed in the feces of persons with the infection, and transmitted by poor handwashing and food handling practices. It is VERY common in Mexico. It is brought back to the U.S. by the immigrant kids and spreads to the rest of the school. The adults don't bring it back because most of them already had it as children and are immune.
One of the complications that may occur with Hepatitis A is liver damage. Also, the symptoms can linger on for months, especially in older children and adults. When parents complain to the school nurse and administration about this, they are told that Hepatitis A is just a mild viral illness, and no different than their kid catching a cold or the flu at school. Political Correctness again ....
"Not sure there's a situation going on here"?
Huh?
How much more proof do they need?
Hmmm...
well Morgellons seems to have drawn the attention of at least one researcher
at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences.
see top article at this URL:
http://centernet.okstate.edu/whatsnew/rounds/2005/1005.html
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.