Mystery Disease Gives Sensation Of 'Bugs Eating Skin'
Report: Florida, California, Texas Apparent Hot Spots For Condition
POSTED: Thursday, January 17, 2008
UPDATED: 11:26 am EST January 18,
2008
ORLANDO, Fla. -- An unexplained disease that sufferers say cause overwhelming sensations of bugs crawling, biting and stinging their skin and mystery lesions that never heal is being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
IMAGES: More strange stories, images
The illness is called Morgellons and Florida, Texas and California are states with apparent hot spots for the condition, Local 6 reported.People who report suffering from the condition identify a range of symptoms including vision loss, mental confusion and fatigue. Some sufferers also said they have experienced tiny fibers that pop out of their skin."They typically describe a disturbing skin sensation such as itching or stinging or pins and needles," Centers for Disease Control Dr. Michele Pearson said.Last summer, registered nurse Cindy Casey said the constant lesions on her body forced her to quit working."It's miserable," Casey said. "It feels like you've got splinters coming out."Thousands of people claim to have Morgellons and a foundation has been formed.However, some are not certain Morgellons is a legitimate disease."The reason we are doing an investigation is to learn more about it," Pearson said.Researchers plan to follow up with 500 people who claim to have the condition.Volunteers will get blood tests, skin exams as well as psychological evaluations.Doctors at Oklahoma State University have been studying Morgellons for years and said they don't know what's causing it.The CDC's year-long study will try to figure out what's causing Morgellons and if there's any way to treat it.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
IMAGES: More strange stories, images The illness is called Morgellons and Florida, Texas and California are states with apparent hot spots for the condition, Local 6 reported.People who report suffering from the condition identify a range of symptoms including vision loss, mental confusion and fatigue. Some sufferers also said they have experienced tiny fibers that pop out of their skin."They typically describe a disturbing skin sensation such as itching or stinging or pins and needles," Centers for Disease Control Dr. Michele Pearson said.Last summer, registered nurse Cindy Casey said the constant lesions on her body forced her to quit working."It's miserable," Casey said. "It feels like you've got splinters coming out."Thousands of people claim to have Morgellons and a foundation has been formed.However, some are not certain Morgellons is a legitimate disease."The reason we are doing an investigation is to learn more about it," Pearson said.Researchers plan to follow up with 500 people who claim to have the condition.Volunteers will get blood tests, skin exams as well as psychological evaluations.Doctors at Oklahoma State University have been studying Morgellons for years and said they don't know what's causing it.The CDC's year-long study will try to figure out what's causing Morgellons and if there's any way to treat it.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Copyright 2008 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com.
All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.
A man is charged with assisting with an attempted suicide after telling his wife to kill herself during an argument and loading the gun for her, deputies say.
A 27-year-old man remains under observation in a special cell today after being charged in the death of his ex-girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter last week.
Ida is no longer a hurricane as it loses strength over the water on its way to a landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast sometime tomorrow.
Three men have been arrested by Daytona Beach police after a 16-year-old died from stab wounds.
A pedestrian was struck and killed after walking into the path of a vehicle while leaving a Central Florida bar, authorities say.
Local 6 News, led by investigative reporter Mike Holfeld, will host an interactive experience on Monday, including a phone bank and online chat with homeowners association experts. Call 888-436-6665 for the phone bank.
A fight breaks out among players at a high school game in Providence, R.I., that soon spread to fans in the stands.
A Minnesota woman gives birth on-line for her family, friends and the whole world to see.
Monday, Nov. 9, 2009.
Police in Charleston, W.V., say a 9-year-old boy stopped a carjacking with some quick thinking.
The 13 people killed when an Army psychiatrist allegedly opened fire on fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, included a pregnant woman who was preparing to return home, a man who quit a furniture company job to join the military about a year ago, a newlywed who had served in Iraq and a woman who had vowed to take on Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Here is a look at some of the victims.
Top-dollar designs don't always provide a good return for the rich and famous. Check out which celebs were caught in fashion flops.
Check out these lookers who ran into the law.
Spawning well-known characters from Big Bird to Elmo, "Sesame Street" has been entertaining and educating children for 40 years now.
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
