Authorities in the Kenyan city of Kakamega are investigating the cause of a mysterious illness that left 106 secondary school girls with paralyzed legs.
The origin of the condition has not yet been identified, and the main hypotheses are the transmission of an unknown disease or an episode of generalized hysteria. All the victims are girls who study at St. Theresa’s Eregi School, about 370 km from Nairobi, in the capital of Kenya.
Tests found no cause
Videos showing the students with their legs paralyzed began circulating on the internet last Monday (2/10). According to the country’s health authorities, the first tests found no infections. Blood, urine and fecal tests were performed.
The symptoms presented were numb and immobile legs. Some girls also experienced severe headaches, vomiting and fever. However, upon being admitted to the hospital, they managed to improve quickly. Of the 106 students admitted, 46 have already been discharged.
Collective hysteria
The region’s health secretary, Bernard Wesonga, stated that the most likely hypothesis is hysteria. “I believe the children were having psychological problems, which may have caused panic among them,” he told The Standard, a local newspaper. He believes that the mental health of students is affected by the arrival of the exam period.
Collective hysteria corresponds to the repetition of a pattern of behavior by a large group of people. In general, they are related to desires for attention or are generated by collective trauma. In 2022, a similar case occurred at a school in Pernambuco in Brazil: several students vomited and fainted for no apparent reason.
