https://me-pedia.org/w/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Debored13MEpedia - User contributions [en]2026-04-21T08:54:42ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.43.8https://me-pedia.org/w/index.php?title=1984_Incline_Village_chronic_fatigue_syndrome_outbreak&diff=522801984 Incline Village chronic fatigue syndrome outbreak2019-03-09T14:53:08Z<p>Debored13:/* Biotoxin exposure */ adding a citation to the only formal publication that has evidence re: this theory</p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Incline Village, NV on US map.png|thumb|right|Source:ePodunk]]<br />
In 1984, there was an outbreak of [[myalgic encephalomyelitis]]/[[chronic fatigue syndrome]] ([[ME/CFS]]) (then thought to be [[Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus]]) at '''Incline Village''', Nevada, [[United States]].<ref>[http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000740.htm Chronic Fatigue Possibly Related to Epstein-Barr Virus -- Nevada - CDC]</ref> Incline Village is a small town on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. <br />
<br />
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) was the name coined by the [[Centers for Disease Control]] (CDC) in response to an outbreak of "chronic [[flu-like illness]]" at Incline Village.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/28/science/fatigue-virus-has-experts-more-baffled-and-skeptical-than-ever.html|title=Fatigue 'Virus' Has Experts More Baffled And Skeptical Than Ever|last=Boffey|first=Philip M.|date=1987-07-28|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-02-17|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Outbreak==<br />
An estimated 160 residents of Incline Village became ill with [[chronic fatigue syndrome]] ([[CFS]]) the winter of 1985 of which the majority were seen by local doctors, [[Paul Cheney]] and [[Daniel Peterson]].<ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/1986-06-07/news/mn-9956_1_lake-tahoe 160 Victims at Lake Tahoe : Chronic Flu-Like Illness a Medical Mystery Story - LA Times]</ref> <br />
<br />
Dr. [[Anthony Komaroff]] studied 175 cases around Lake Tahoe and found "quite a number" have been fully or partially disabled while a third said their condition improved.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/28/science/fatigue-virus-has-experts-more-baffled-and-skeptical-than-ever.html?pagewanted=3 Fatigue 'Virus' Has Experts More Baffled And Skeptical Than Ever - NY Times - July 1987]</ref><br />
<br />
===Truckee, California High School===<br />
During this same time, about 20 miles away, Truckee, California was involved in a similar outbreak. Nine of 10 teachers using a conference room at the same high school were found to be suffering from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sick_building_syndrome sick building syndrome] (SBS) as well as symptoms typical of CFS.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8148452 Concurrent sick building syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome: epidemic neuromyasthenia revisited.]</ref><ref>[http://www.me-ireland.com/Truckee.pdf Concurrent Sick Building Syndrome and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Epidemic Neuromyasthenia Revisited - Oxford Journals]</ref><br />
<br />
==Local response==<br />
<br />
===Paul Cheney and Dan Peterson===<br />
Doctors who practiced at Incline Village and experienced the outbreak first hand include [[Daniel Peterson]] and [[Paul Cheney]]. They have continued to work in the [[ME/CFS]] field.<br />
<br />
==CDC investigation==<br />
'The [[CDC]] showed up eventually, but they refused to examine any of the patients. [[Stephen Straus]] called it a disease of “depressed menopausal women.” [[U.S. Department of Health and Human Services|HHS]] made this characterization known to the press, which then dubbed the disease “[[Yuppie Flu]].”'<ref>[https://sarahallegra.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/the-incline-village-outbreak/ The Incline Village Outbreak - By; Sarah Allegra]</ref><br />
<br />
The local doctors seemed to be defending their scorned and disabled patients from the CDC and medical establishment.<ref>[http://phoenixrising.me/folder/ed-2/original-sin-incline-village-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-and-myalgic-encephalomyelitis-by-cort-johnson Original Sin: Incline Village - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - By: Cort Johnson]</ref><br />
<br />
In an interview with [[Hillary Johnson]], she spoke about Incline Village and the CDC response. "In 1984-85, a large number of people living in Incline Village, Nevada, were devastated by a mysterious, debilitating disease, now known to be Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. After a cursory investigation of the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the [[National Institutes of Health]] (NIH) have made little effort to aggressively research the disease. It was not until 1995--ten years later--that scientists at the CDC gave CFS a "Priority 1" listing among their "New and Reemerging Infectious Diseases" category, thus officially recognizing it as a bona fide disease. Despite including CFS in this category, these agencies continue to insist there is no evidence that CFS is infectious."<ref>[http://www.ncf-net.org/library/hillary.htm Hillary Johnson Talks About Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Her New Book, Osler's Web]</ref><br />
<br />
Although the CDC did not examine patients when they were sent to investigate the mysterious illness they were called in for, they somehow were able to, at a later date, produce a report based on whether or not the patients were experiencing [[Chronic Epstein-Barr virus]]. The non-conclusion was: "Currently available data neither prove nor disprove the hypothesis that EBV activity is responsible for chronic illness, but it is clear that the diagnosis of CEBV using current clinical and laboratory criteria in an individual patient is unreliable."<ref>[http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000740.htm Chronic Fatigue Possibly Related to Epstein-Barr Virus -- Nevada - CDC]</ref><br />
<br />
==Media coverage==<br />
<br />
*1996 PrimeTime TV segment [[Sick and Tired - Incline Village Outbreak]]<br />
*[[I Remember Me]]<br />
*[https://twitter.com/erikmoldwarrior/status/798024814329929728 Doctors say strange form of mono under control in Incline Village] via Twitter @erikmoldwarrior [[Erik Johnson]]. Dated Oct, 16, 1985, Media outlet unknown.<br />
<br />
==Possible causes==<br />
<br />
=== Herpes viruses ===<br />
[[Gary Holmes]] found that patients in Nevada near the outbreak with what his team hypothesized was [[chronic Epstein Barr]] had elevated antibody titers to several [[herpesviruses]] including [[Epstein-Barr virus]], [[cytomegalovirus]], and [[herpes simplex]], as well as [[measles]] viruses than age-matched controls.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Holmes|first=Gary P|authorlink =Gary Holmes|date=May 1, 1987|title=A Cluster of Patients With a Chronic Mononucleosis-like Syndrome Is Epstein-Barr Virus the Cause?|url=https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/365861|journal=Journal of the American Medical Association|volume=257|pages=2297-2302|via=}}</ref> However, the study cohort was defined as patients who had experienced excessive fatigue between January 1 and September 15. <br />
<br />
Dr. [[Paul Cheney]] theorizes that a particularly virulent strain of [[HHV-6]] swept the population.<ref>Unreleased Canary in a Coal Mine interview, 2015.</ref> He found that the sufferers were "mass-producing antibodies to [[Epstein-Barr virus]], the herpes virus that causes infectious [[mononucleosis]]." Dr. Cheney contacted the [[CDC]] to report the outbreak.<ref>[http://www.newsweek.com/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-205712 Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Newsweek - Nov 11, 1990]</ref><br />
<br />
===Biotoxin exposure===<br />
<br />
[[Erik Johnson]], a patient who pioneered [[mold avoidance]] for CFS, theorizes that an outbreak of toxic [[cyanobacteria]] (blue green algae) on Lake Tahoe located near [[Incline village]], combined with other biotoxins such as toxic mold, may have created susceptibility to a viral infection and caused the outbreak.<ref>[http://paradigmchange.me/avoidance/ Paradigm Change - Avoidance]</ref> It has been observed that the outbreak in Tahoe shared some but not all features with Sick Building Syndrome, and that the cluster of teachers who became sick at Truckee high school involved teachers who all used the same lounge, which may have had a chemical or biotoxin. <ref>{{Cite journal|last=Chester|first=A. C.|last2=Levine|first2=P. H.|date=1994-1|title=Concurrent sick building syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome: epidemic neuromyasthenia revisited|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8148452|journal=Clinical Infectious Diseases: An Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America|volume=18 Suppl 1|pages=S43–48|issn=1058-4838|pmid=8148452}}</ref> <br />
<br />
==Learn more==<br />
<br />
*Nov 12, 1990, [[Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Newsweek (1990)|Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Newsweek]]<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
<br />
*[[Daniel Peterson]]<br />
*[[Paul Cheney]]<br />
*[[List of outbreaks]]<br />
*[[Osler's Web]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
[[Category:History]]<br />
[[Category:Outbreaks]]<br />
[[Category:Outbreaks in the 1980s]]<br />
[[Category:Outbreaks in the United States of America]]<br />
<br />
<references /></div>Debored13https://me-pedia.org/w/index.php?title=1984_Incline_Village_chronic_fatigue_syndrome_outbreak&diff=522741984 Incline Village chronic fatigue syndrome outbreak2019-03-09T12:55:07Z<p>Debored13:/* Biotoxin exposure */ I changed this because it's inaccurate to claim that erik's theory involves just toxic mold exposure... Hip has elaborated on this on phoenixrising but it's a 'dual factor' theory, about contagion only in sick buildings</p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Incline Village, NV on US map.png|thumb|right|Source:ePodunk]]<br />
In 1984, there was an outbreak of [[myalgic encephalomyelitis]]/[[chronic fatigue syndrome]] ([[ME/CFS]]) (then thought to be [[Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus]]) at '''Incline Village''', Nevada, [[United States]].<ref>[http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000740.htm Chronic Fatigue Possibly Related to Epstein-Barr Virus -- Nevada - CDC]</ref> Incline Village is a small town on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. <br />
<br />
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) was the name coined by the [[Centers for Disease Control]] (CDC) in response to an outbreak of "chronic [[flu-like illness]]" at Incline Village.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/28/science/fatigue-virus-has-experts-more-baffled-and-skeptical-than-ever.html|title=Fatigue 'Virus' Has Experts More Baffled And Skeptical Than Ever|last=Boffey|first=Philip M.|date=1987-07-28|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-02-17|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Outbreak==<br />
An estimated 160 residents of Incline Village became ill with [[chronic fatigue syndrome]] ([[CFS]]) the winter of 1985 of which the majority were seen by local doctors, [[Paul Cheney]] and [[Daniel Peterson]].<ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/1986-06-07/news/mn-9956_1_lake-tahoe 160 Victims at Lake Tahoe : Chronic Flu-Like Illness a Medical Mystery Story - LA Times]</ref> <br />
<br />
Dr. [[Anthony Komaroff]] studied 175 cases around Lake Tahoe and found "quite a number" have been fully or partially disabled while a third said their condition improved.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/28/science/fatigue-virus-has-experts-more-baffled-and-skeptical-than-ever.html?pagewanted=3 Fatigue 'Virus' Has Experts More Baffled And Skeptical Than Ever - NY Times - July 1987]</ref><br />
<br />
===Truckee, California High School===<br />
During this same time, about 20 miles away, Truckee, California was involved in a similar outbreak. Nine of 10 teachers using a conference room at the same high school were found to be suffering from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sick_building_syndrome sick building syndrome] (SBS) as well as symptoms typical of CFS.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8148452 Concurrent sick building syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome: epidemic neuromyasthenia revisited.]</ref><ref>[http://www.me-ireland.com/Truckee.pdf Concurrent Sick Building Syndrome and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Epidemic Neuromyasthenia Revisited - Oxford Journals]</ref><br />
<br />
==Local response==<br />
<br />
===Paul Cheney and Dan Peterson===<br />
Doctors who practiced at Incline Village and experienced the outbreak first hand include [[Daniel Peterson]] and [[Paul Cheney]]. They have continued to work in the [[ME/CFS]] field.<br />
<br />
==CDC investigation==<br />
'The [[CDC]] showed up eventually, but they refused to examine any of the patients. [[Stephen Straus]] called it a disease of “depressed menopausal women.” [[U.S. Department of Health and Human Services|HHS]] made this characterization known to the press, which then dubbed the disease “[[Yuppie Flu]].”'<ref>[https://sarahallegra.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/the-incline-village-outbreak/ The Incline Village Outbreak - By; Sarah Allegra]</ref><br />
<br />
The local doctors seemed to be defending their scorned and disabled patients from the CDC and medical establishment.<ref>[http://phoenixrising.me/folder/ed-2/original-sin-incline-village-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-and-myalgic-encephalomyelitis-by-cort-johnson Original Sin: Incline Village - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - By: Cort Johnson]</ref><br />
<br />
In an interview with [[Hillary Johnson]], she spoke about Incline Village and the CDC response. "In 1984-85, a large number of people living in Incline Village, Nevada, were devastated by a mysterious, debilitating disease, now known to be Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. After a cursory investigation of the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the [[National Institutes of Health]] (NIH) have made little effort to aggressively research the disease. It was not until 1995--ten years later--that scientists at the CDC gave CFS a "Priority 1" listing among their "New and Reemerging Infectious Diseases" category, thus officially recognizing it as a bona fide disease. Despite including CFS in this category, these agencies continue to insist there is no evidence that CFS is infectious."<ref>[http://www.ncf-net.org/library/hillary.htm Hillary Johnson Talks About Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Her New Book, Osler's Web]</ref><br />
<br />
Although the CDC did not examine patients when they were sent to investigate the mysterious illness they were called in for, they somehow were able to, at a later date, produce a report based on whether or not the patients were experiencing [[Chronic Epstein-Barr virus]]. The non-conclusion was: "Currently available data neither prove nor disprove the hypothesis that EBV activity is responsible for chronic illness, but it is clear that the diagnosis of CEBV using current clinical and laboratory criteria in an individual patient is unreliable."<ref>[http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000740.htm Chronic Fatigue Possibly Related to Epstein-Barr Virus -- Nevada - CDC]</ref><br />
<br />
==Media coverage==<br />
<br />
*1996 PrimeTime TV segment [[Sick and Tired - Incline Village Outbreak]]<br />
*[[I Remember Me]]<br />
*[https://twitter.com/erikmoldwarrior/status/798024814329929728 Doctors say strange form of mono under control in Incline Village] via Twitter @erikmoldwarrior [[Erik Johnson]]. Dated Oct, 16, 1985, Media outlet unknown.<br />
<br />
==Possible causes==<br />
<br />
=== Herpes viruses ===<br />
[[Gary Holmes]] found that patients in Nevada near the outbreak with what his team hypothesized was [[chronic Epstein Barr]] had elevated antibody titers to several [[herpesviruses]] including [[Epstein-Barr virus]], [[cytomegalovirus]], and [[herpes simplex]], as well as [[measles]] viruses than age-matched controls.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Holmes|first=Gary P|authorlink =Gary Holmes|date=May 1, 1987|title=A Cluster of Patients With a Chronic Mononucleosis-like Syndrome Is Epstein-Barr Virus the Cause?|url=https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/365861|journal=Journal of the American Medical Association|volume=257|pages=2297-2302|via=}}</ref> However, the study cohort was defined as patients who had experienced excessive fatigue between January 1 and September 15. <br />
<br />
Dr. [[Paul Cheney]] theorizes that a particularly virulent strain of [[HHV-6]] swept the population.<ref>Unreleased Canary in a Coal Mine interview, 2015.</ref> He found that the sufferers were "mass-producing antibodies to [[Epstein-Barr virus]], the herpes virus that causes infectious [[mononucleosis]]." Dr. Cheney contacted the [[CDC]] to report the outbreak.<ref>[http://www.newsweek.com/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-205712 Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Newsweek - Nov 11, 1990]</ref><br />
<br />
===Biotoxin exposure===<br />
<br />
[[Erik Johnson]], a patient who pioneered [[mold avoidance]] for CFS, theorizes that an outbreak of toxic [[cyanobacteria]] (blue green algae) on Lake Tahoe located near [[Incline village]], combined with other biotoxins such as toxic mold, may have created susceptibility to a viral infection and caused the outbreak.<ref>[http://paradigmchange.me/avoidance/ Paradigm Change - Avoidance]</ref> <br />
<br />
==Learn more==<br />
<br />
*Nov 12, 1990, [[Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Newsweek (1990)|Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Newsweek]]<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
<br />
*[[Daniel Peterson]]<br />
*[[Paul Cheney]]<br />
*[[List of outbreaks]]<br />
*[[Osler's Web]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
[[Category:History]]<br />
[[Category:Outbreaks]]<br />
[[Category:Outbreaks in the 1980s]]<br />
[[Category:Outbreaks in the United States of America]]<br />
<br />
<references /></div>Debored13