Current Events Buzz

The US Centers for Disease Control is paying Kaiser Permanente $338,000 to conduct testing and interviews of patients aparently suffering from a bizarre and controversial disorder called Morgellons (mor-GELL-uns). The disorder has been reported world-wide but is more prevalent in the US, particularly in the Bay area of Northern California where the study will be based. Initially dismissed by the medical community as more psychosomatic than physiological, pressure from individual sufferers and physicians who are a loss as to how to handle the problem has forced the CDC to action. Morgellons presents as a number of strange, if not frightening, symptoms which include an itching, crawling sensation accompanied by sores or lesions along with reports of fibers of various colors emerging from the skin. Physical and mental fatigue, short term memory loss, mental confusion and joint aches and pains sometimes accompany the skin problems. Although a great deal of speculation has been advanced as ...

The Centers for Disease Control, along with Kaiser Permanente, will sponsor a study of a very unusual disease known as Morgellons. "Persons who suffer from this unexplained skin condition report a range of cutaneous (skin) symptoms including crawling, biting and stinging sensations; granules, threads, fibers, or black speck-like materials on or beneath the skin; and/or skin lesions (e.g., rashes or sores). In addition to skin manifestations, some sufferers also report fatigue, mental confusion, short term memory loss, joint pain, and changes in vision." For more information, watch Good Morning America at 7:00 am this morning.