Date sent: Sun, 2 Dec 2001 Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Epidemics An annotated bibliography with citations for 63 known outbreaks is published in "The Clinical and Scientific Basis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome," published by the Nightingale Research Foundation, Byron M. Hyde, MD, Editor, Jay Goldstein, MD and Paul Levine, MD, advisors. Chapter 16, pp176-186. This annotated bibliography is based upon the work of Sir Donald Acheson and Drs. Henderson and Shelokov; collected, revised and updated by Dr. J. Gordon Parish and later by Dr. Byron M. Hyde. Published by The Nightingale Research Foundation, http://www.nightingale.ca/nightd.html . The locations and years of the 63 known epidemics are as follows: 1934 Epidemic 1 Los Angeles City and California State, USA 1936 Epidemic 2 Fond-du-Lac, Wisconsin, USA 1937 Epidemic 3 Erstfeld, Switzerland Epidemic 4 Frohburg Hospital, St. Gallen, Switzerland 1939 Epidemic 5 Harefield Sanatorium, Middlesex, England Epidemic 6 Degersheim, St. Gallen, Switzerland 1945 Epidemic 7 University Hospital of Pennsylvania, USA 1946-47 Epidemic 8 Iceland 1948-49 Epidemic 9 North Coast Towns, Iceland 1949-51 Epidemic 10 Adelaide, South Australia 1950 Epidemic 11 St Joseph Infirmary, Louisville, Kentucky, USA Epidemic 12 Upper New York State 1952 Epidemic 13 Middlesex Hospital Nurses' Home, London, England Epidemic 14 Copenhagen, Denmark Epidemic 15 Lakeland, Florida, USA 1953 Epidemic 16 Whitley Hospital, Coventry and Coventry District, England Epidemic 17 Chestnut Lodge Hospital, Rockville, Maryland, USA Epidemic 18 Jutland, Denmark 1954 Epidemic 19 Tallahassee, Florida, USA Epidemic 20 Seward, Alaska Epidemic 21 British Army, Berlin, Germany Epidemic 22 Liverpool, England 1955 Epidemic 23 Dalston, Cumbria, England Epidemic 24 Royal Free Hospital, London, England Epidemic 25 Perth, Western Australia Epidemic 26 Gilfach Goch, Wales Sporadic cases: Boscombe, Hants, England East Ham, London, England Epidemic 27 Addington Hospital, Durban and Durban City, South Africa Sporadic cases: Johannesburg, South Africa July 1954-March 1955 1955-56 Epidemic 28 Segwema, Sierra Leone Oct 1955-Oct 1956 Epidemic 29 Patreksfordur and Thorshofn, Iceland Oct 1955-April 1956 Epidemic 30 N.W. London, England, April 1955-September 1957 1956 Epidemic 31 Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA Epidemic 32 Punta Gorda, Florida, USA Epidemic 33 Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, England Epidemic 34 Pittsfield, Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA Sporadic cases: Hygiea, Sweden 1956-57 Epidemic 35 Coventry, England 1957 Epidemic 36 Brighton, South Australia 1958 Epidemic 37 Athens, Greece Switzerland 1958-59 Sporadic cases: S.W. London, England 1959 Epidemic 38 Newcastle upon Tyne, England Sporadic cases: N.W. London, England England 1961 Sporadic case: Basel, Switzerland 1961-62 Epidemic 39 New York State 1964-66 Epidemic 40 N. W. London, England Epidemic 41 Franklin, Kentucky, USA 1965-66 Epidemic 42 Galveston County, Texas, USA 1967-70 Sporadic cases: Edinburgh, Scotland 1968 Epidemic 43 Fraidek, Lebanon 1969 Epidemic 44 Medical Centre, State University of New York, USA 1970 Epidemic 45 Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, USA 1970-71 Epidemic 46 Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London, England 1975 Epidemic 47 Mercy San Juan Hospital, Sacramento, California, USA 1976 Epidemic 48 Southwest Ireland 1977 Epidemic 49 Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, USA 1979 Epidemic 50 Southampton, England 1980-81 Epidemic 51 West Kilbridges, Ayrshire, Scotland 1980-83 Epidemic 52 Helensburgh, Scotland 1981-82 Sporadic cases: Stirlingshire, Scotland 1982-84 Epidemic 53 West Otago, New Zealand Dunedin and Hamilton, New Zealand 1984 "From 1984 until 1992 an endemic period occurred in which an unusually large number of clusters and epidemics of M.E./CFS have been recognized in North America. After an apparent initial increase in morbidity in 1983, there seemed to have appeared in late summer of 1984 an unprecedented increase of sporadic and epidemic cases across North America. Although certain geographical hot spots seem to have taken up much of the medical interest, this endemic situation probably represents an unusual and unremitting morbidity in all areas of the United States and Canada. Some of the clusters and epidemics are listed." Epidemic 54 Incline Village, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA Epidemic August - September Epidemic 55 Chapel Hill, North Caroline, USA Epidemic 56 Montreal, Quebec-Ontario, Canada 1984-85 Epidemic 57 Truckee, California, USA 1985 Epidemic 58 Lyndonville Epidemic, New York, USA SMON Epidemic in Japan Zhi Fang Epidemic in China "The status of these two epidemics in relation to M.E./CFS can only be speculation at this point. Epidemic 59 Yerington, Nevada, USA 1986 Epidemic 60 Placerville, California, USA 1988 Epidemic 61 Sonora, California, USA 1989 Epidemic 62 ? (Reported in the local newspaper, no medical report to date.) Roseville, California, USA 1990 Epidemic 63 (This epidemic was still active in 1991.) Elkgrove High School, Elkgrove, California, USA