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The Nodding Disease in Southern Sudan
Charity, age 14, suffers from a disease known all too well in Southern Sudan as the Nodding Disease. Although it may not be obvious at first, the motionless, blank stare on her face speaks volumes--so do the jerking motions of her neck and head when she has an attack. Her sister, who works at the local hospital, takes care for her as best as she is able. She loves her sister and it pains her to see Charity suffer. Nodding Disease has taken a great toll on these sisters for years, and Charity is the exception to a very strict rule-most children who contract Nodding Disease are marked for death.
From the early 1980s until today, Nodding has slowly taken shape in Southern Sudan. Larger outbreaks of the disease began to occur in 2003, especially in towns near the Yei River in Western Equatoria. Children are susceptible to this disease, which causes them to go into seizures similar to Epilepsy. Attacks are most common when the child tries to eat food or when they become cold. Victims have no recollection of events that occurred during an attack.
In Lui Hospital it is common to find burn victims--children who have fallen into fires while trying to get warm before a seizure sets in. They carry these scars for the rest of their lives, although there are other noticeable symptoms, such as stunted physical and psychological growth. Most victims have a distinctive bulge on the forehead--their eyes are dim and glazed over, and they rarely speak. The life of a child who contracts Nodding is usually short-lived. The disease is considered fatal, but it is not contagious. The disease has been studied by doctors abroad, but there is no confirmed cause for the disease. Sadly, there is no known cure for the Nodding Disease, and research efforts are not quickly reaching a solution to stop this child-killer.