"Worms-Under-Skin" Disease Puzzles Scienists

by thescribetony | May 16, 2008 at 11:54 am | 478 views | 3 comments

Is it caused by a bacteria or fungus?

To the nearly 10,000 families suffering from the symptoms Morgellons disease, it doesn't matter. The disease, blamed on everything from alien abductions and government conspiracies, to genetically altered foods carries a litany of physical and psychological symptoms.

(C)ommonly reported symptoms include:
* Multi-colored fiber-like strands or crystals protruding out of skin
* Fatigue
* A feeling of parasites or worms crawling under skin
* Black specks in lesions that do not heal
* Joint swelling and/or hair loss
* Memory loss or general brain fog with difficulty concentrating

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided a US$338,000 grant to Kaiser Permanente to research Morgellons

an affliction it refers to as a "skin condition."

Even this classification is under debate.

Dr. Ahmed Kilani, president and CEO of Clongen Laboratories and a specialist in infectious disease detection, told WND the illness is much more than a mere skin condition.
"It spreads between individuals," he said. "Unlike infection, this is something much more serious. People die from complications because the disease is more than skin deep. It's not just a skin condition that causes lesions. It goes into the stomach and impacts the G.I. tract and causes brain conditions."

Many scientists and researchers do not belive Morgellon is a disease, but rather a 'fabricated illness'. Kilani believes this is wrong, claiming '10 calls' a day from people 'who identify themseleves as having the symptoms.'

...I have met people from all walks of life: High-powered attorneys, physicians, nurses, actors, actresses, athletes. They go nuts after awhile. They become socially rejected because of the way they look. The whole thing is just a disaster."

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jay.el

at 12:28 on May 16th, 2008

Oh dear. This is very strange indeed!

Mikasi

at 15:39 on May 16th, 2008

I have been very loosely following this for the last month or so. The article you sited was better than the last two because it gave alternate realistic explanations to the genetic food idea (which has been suggested but not supported by facts).

One thing you did not mention from the article that should be mentioned has to do with the CDC grant of $338,000 -

Kilani said Kaiser Permanente is the first and only recipient of funding for Morgellons research from the CDC,
but he doesn't think the grant will be enough to help scientists
determine if Morgellons disease is caused by bacteria, fungi or any
other environmental factor.

"I'm not sure how far that will go because $338,000 is a drop in the
bucket," he said. It'll be spent in a week. It's just not enough money.
Whoever gets funding and can investigate this problem is going to make
a huge contribution because there are lots of people with this illness."

My guess is that the US will do what it did both with AIDS research and space funding - wait till someone else has gained the lead (France and the USSR, respectively) then start funding because we worry about looking lame.