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Nodding Syndrome, Western Uganda, 1994

Christoph KaiserBasic Health Services, Kabarole and Bundibugyo Districts, Fort Portal, Uganda; Vector Control Unit, Ministry of Health, Fort Portal, Uganda; Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

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Tom RubaaleBasic Health Services, Kabarole and Bundibugyo Districts, Fort Portal, Uganda; Vector Control Unit, Ministry of Health, Fort Portal, Uganda; Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

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Ephraim TukesigaBasic Health Services, Kabarole and Bundibugyo Districts, Fort Portal, Uganda; Vector Control Unit, Ministry of Health, Fort Portal, Uganda; Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

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Walter KippBasic Health Services, Kabarole and Bundibugyo Districts, Fort Portal, Uganda; Vector Control Unit, Ministry of Health, Fort Portal, Uganda; Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

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George AsabaBasic Health Services, Kabarole and Bundibugyo Districts, Fort Portal, Uganda; Vector Control Unit, Ministry of Health, Fort Portal, Uganda; Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

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Nodding syndrome (NS) is a poorly understood condition, which was delineated in 2008 as a new epilepsy syndrome. So far, confirmed cases of NS have been observed in three circumscribed African areas: southern Tanzania, southern Sudan, and northern Uganda. Case–control studies have provided evidence of an association between NS and infection with Onchocerca volvulus, but the causation of NS is still not fully clarified. We report a case of a 15-year old boy with head nodding seizures and other characteristic features of NS from an onchocerciasis endemic area in western Uganda, with no contiguity to the hitherto known areas. We suggest that the existence of NS should be systematically investigated in other areas.

Author Notes

* Address correspondence to Christoph Kaiser, Facharzt für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, Balzenbergstr. 73, 76530 Baden-Baden, Germany. E-mail: drchkaiser@web.de

Authors' addresses: Christoph Kaiser, Practice for Child and Adolescent Health, Baden-Baden, Germany, E-mail: christoph.kaiser@email.de. Tom Rubaale and George Asaba, District Health Department, Kabarole District Local Government, Fort Portal, Uganda, E-mails: trubaale@gmail.com and asaba_george@yahoo.com. Ephraim Tukesiga, Vector Control Unit, Ministry of Health, Fort Portal, Uganda, E-mail: ephraim.tukesiga@gmail.com. Walter Kipp, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada, E-mail: walter.kipp@ualberta.ca.

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