Mysterious illness which leaves women and teenage girls ‘shaking uncontrollably’ spreads through Uganda leaving doctors baffled

A mysterious illness which has reportedly left patients shaking uncontrollably is spreading across Uganda in a case that is leaving doctors baffled.

The disease which locals are referring to as Dinga Dinga, translating to ‘shaking like dancing’, has already affected around 300 people, mostly women and girls, according to health officials.

The puzzling illness, confirmed in the Bundibugyo district in Uganda, causes fever and excessive body shaking which makes walking difficult to those that are suffering with Dinga Dinga.

Doctor Kiyita Christopher, the district health officer, informed local media that no instances had been recorded in nearby areas outside of the Bundibugyo region and that samples had been submitted to the health ministry for analysis. 

The doctor also reassured that there has been no fatalities reported as a result of the disease, and that the illness is usually treatable with antibiotics.

Many patients have tried herbal remedies in an attempt to counter their symptoms, but this has been strongly discouraged by the health professional. 

‘There is no scientific evidence that herbal medicine can treat this disease,’ he said. 

‘We are using specific treatments, and patients usually recover within a week.

‘I urge locals to seek treatment from health facilities within the district,’ he added. 

Christopher told Ugandan newspaper, Monitor, that the mysterious illness was first reported in early 2023 and remains under investigation by health laboratories.

One patient, Patience Katusiime, recalled her experience with the illness, noting that her body kept shaking uncontrollably, despite feeling paralysed.

‘I felt weak and got paralysed, with my body shaking uncontrollably whenever I tried to walk,’ she said.

It was very disturbing. I was taken to Bundibugyo Hospital for treatment, and thank God, I am now fine’.

It comes just months after an outbreak of monkeypox was reported in Uganda and other East African states.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in August declared the ultra-deadly strain of the disease, also known as mpox, a global public health emergency.

Officials said an outbreak of the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighboring countries posed ‘international concern’ – the WHO’s highest level of alert.

The hope was to speed up research and roll out vaccines to contain the virus, which is more infectious and several times deadlier than the one that caused the global outbreak in 2022.

More than 17,000 suspected cases of monkeypox and over 517 deaths have been reported on the African continent this year alone, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. 

This is a 160 percent surge compared to the same period last year. 

Mpox caused an international epidemic in 2022 when it spread to more than 100 countries and killed hundreds of people – including 58 Americans. 

No deaths were recorded in the UK but several thousand Brits were infected. 

WHO recommends a vaccine within four days of contact with someone who has the virus or within up to 14 days if there are no symptoms.

Healthcare workers and men who have sex with men are advised to receive a vaccine even if they have had no mpox exposure.

Symptoms of mpox include a rash, skin lesions, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain and swollen lymph nodes.

It is spread through physical contact, such as kissing or sex, animals when cooking them, contaminated materials and pregnant women who can spread it to a fetus.

There is no direct cure for mpox, but doctors aim to treat its symptoms, including clearing up the rash and managing pain.