Anonymous
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Search
Editing
1956 Punta Gorda outbreak
From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history
Namespaces
Page
Discussion
More
More
Page actions
Read
Edit
Edit source
History
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
[[File:Punta Gorda, FL.png|200px|thumb|right|Source: bestplaces.net ]] '''1956 Punta Gorda outbreak''': In the spring of 1956, at least 150 cases of an illness diagnosed as [[Epidemic neuromyasthenia|Epidemic Neuromyasthenia]] occurred in Punta Gorda, Florida, a small community of approximately 3000 residents on Charlotte Harbor Bay on the state's southwest coast.<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" /> The pattern of spread was consistent with a person-to-person transmission of an [[infectious agent]]. Two approaches were applied to determine the nature and incidence of the illness. One consisted of a detailed examination, history and laboratory results of twenty one of the cases reported to physicians. The second approach consisted of a house-to-house survey to identify cases not reported because of a more mild illness presentation.<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" /> A [[Mass hysteria|mass conversion reaction]] was ruled out as "little apprehension about the medical problem appeared to exist among the general population."<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" /> == Symptoms == [[File:Distribution of symptoms in the 1956 Punta Gorda, Florida outbreak.png|thumb|Distribution of symptoms in the 1956 Punta Gorda, Florida outbreak<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" />]] Symptoms differed slightly from patient-to-patient. They included but were not limited to: [[fatigue]], [[headache]], [[nuchal]] (nape or back of the neck) [[pain]], muscle aches and pain, [[paresthesia]], paresis, fever, nausea and vomiting, [[diarrhea]], [[loss of appetite]], [[Dysphagia|difficulty in swallowing,]] [[Cognitive dysfunction|cognitive]] and emotional changes, such as [[confusion]], [[memory problems|memory impairments]], especially in short term memory, [[Dyscalculia|difficulty with math calculations]], [[depression]], [[episodic crying]], "tension," nightmares, [[hyperventilation]], [[Visual dysfunction | visual disturbances]], such as [[Blurred vision|blurred]] and /or [[double vision]], [[dizziness]], and [[unsteadiness]].<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" /> == Findings == Clinical laboratory findings of serum, [[cerebrospinal fluid]], stool, throat swabs, tissue samples, and EKG were interpreted to be unremarkable or within normal range. Many potential causes for the outbreak were investigated, such as, food, milk, water, personal care products, and mosquitoes, but none were found.<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" /> ==Epidemiology== *~150 cases (6.1% of the community population) were identified<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" /> *the onset of cases occurred from mid-March 1956 until June 1, 1956<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" /> *no children under 12 yrs became ill<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" /> *the incidence and severity was higher in females (8.2% of the female population versus 4.0% of the male)<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" /><ref name="Acheson, 1959" /> *42% of medical and hospital staff were affected which is disproportionately higher than the general population<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" /> *the incubation period was less than one week, probably five to six days,<ref name="Acheson, 1959" /> *the duration lasted from one day to more than six months<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" /><ref name="Acheson, 1959" /> ==Course & prognosis == The illness course was prolonged and relapsing, often requiring being bedridden, sometimes requiring hospitalization.<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" /> On followup, patients often had periods of improvement with exacerbations of symptoms, often after increased physical [[exertion]] or occurring during the [[Menstrual cycle|premenstrual period]].<ref name="Poskanzer, 1957" /> == See also == * [[Epidemic myalgic encephalomyelitis]] * [[List of myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome outbreaks]] == Learn more == * [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1965/11/27/in-the-bughouse In the Bughouse], ''The New Yorker'' by Berton Roueché. ==References== <references> <ref name="Poskanzer, 1957">{{Citation | last =Poskanzer | first1 = David C. | author-link1 = | last2 =Henderson | first2 = Donald A. | author-link2 = | last3 = Kunkle | first3 = E. Charles | author-link3 = | last4 = Kalter | first4 = Seymour S. | author-link4 = | last5 =Clement | first5 = Walter B. | author-link5 = | last6 = Bond | first6 = James O. | author-link6 = | title = Epidemic Neuromyasthenia — An Outbreak in Punta Gorda, Florida | journal = New England Journal of Medicine | volume = | issue = 257 | page = 356-364 | date = 1957 | pmid = 13464939 | doi = 10.1056/NEJM195708222570802 | url = http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM195708222570802 }}</ref> <ref name="Acheson, 1959">{{Citation | last =Acheson | first1 = E.D. | author-link1 = | title = The Clinical Syndrome Variously Called Benign Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Iceland Disease and Epidemic Neuromyasthenia | journal = American Journal of Medicine | volume = 26 | issue = 4 | page = 569–595 | date = 1959 | pmid = | url = http://www.name-us.org/defintionspages/DefinitionsArticles/Acheson1959.pdf }}</ref> </references> [[Category:History]] [[Category:Outbreaks]] [[Category:Outbreaks in the 1950s]] [[Category:Outbreaks in the United States of America]]
Summary:
Please make sure your edits are consistent with
MEpedia's guidelines
.
By saving changes, you agree to the
Terms of use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 3.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Templates used on this page:
Template:Citation
(
edit
)
Module:Citation/CS1
(
edit
)
Module:Citation/CS1/COinS
(
edit
)
Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration
(
edit
)
Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation
(
edit
)
Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers
(
edit
)
Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities
(
edit
)
Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist
(
edit
)
Module:No globals
(
edit
)
Navigation
Navigation
Skip to content
Main page
Browse
Become an editor
Random page
Popular pages
Abbreviations
Glossary
About MEpedia
Links for editors
Contents
Guidelines
Recent changes
Pages in need
Search
Help
Wiki tools
Wiki tools
Special pages
Page tools
Page tools
User page tools
More
What links here
Related changes
Page information
Page logs