The coronavirus pandemic has spiralled out of the control across the globe with experts estimating that more than 127,000 people have been infected.
World Health Organisation bosses are recording thousands of deaths with people being diagnosed with the disease in all four corners of the world.
The situation has become so grave that governments have locked down entire nations or outright banned travel across borders.
But, as the globe comes to grips with the crisis, Daily Star Online looks at the weirdest epidemics to have swept the world before coronavirus.
The Dancing Epidemic of 1518
Forget Saturday Night Fever, this outbreak of uncontrollable dancing had people on their feet for days during the roasting-hot summer.
In the startling account written by physician Paracelsus, the “dancing plague of Strasbourg” started when a woman stepped out of her home and started shaking in the street.
Within hours, a swarm of peasants joined her and rarely stopped to drink or eat and reportedly kept going – even when their feet were bloody and bruised.
Documents kept in the city archives painted a grim picture of the event and said: “In their madness, people kept up their dancing until they fell unconscious and many died.”
Theories surrounding the bizarre case point to a case of mass food-poisoning in the area that may have been caused by spoilt barley, which in turn could produce an effect similar to taking LSD.
The Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic of 1962
While laughter can be contagious, this epidemic brought a community to its knees.
The outbreak began at a girls’ school in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) where the pupils became overwhelmed with uncontrollable fits of laughter.
Symptoms recorded during the epidemic were restlessness and fits of crying or laughter that could last for several minutes to upwards of 16 hours.
Between April and May that year some 217 people had laughing fits that led to 14 schools being shut down.
Christian Hempelmann, of then Purdue University, said the epidemic could be linked to stress as the country had only just won its independence.
Speaking of the mass psychogenic illness, Dr Hemplemann said: "MPI is a last resort for people of low status. It's an easy way for them to express that something is wrong."
Genital Shrinking Epidemic
A period of mass panic swept across Africa and parts of Asia at the turn of the millennium as men started to fear their genitals had begun to shrink.
The psychological Koro contagion – where men and women believe their sexual organs had shrunk or retreated into the body – sparked alarm in numerous communities on those continents.
According to research by Vivian Dzokoto and Glenn Adams – published in the 2005 journal of Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry – victims believed that accidental “brushing” against someone could cause their genitals to shrink.
The pair said in the study: “A 17-year-old man in Ghana claimed he had gone to fetch water for his father and was returning when the ‘perpetrator’ came behind him, touched him and immediately he felt his penis shrink until it was no longer visible.”
The Carancas Meteorite Sickness
A meteorite was blamed for striking down numerous villagers in Peru after it emitted strong noxious gas when it struck the ground in 2007.
Shortly after the fireball landed near Carancas, villagers described a “strange odour” plaguing the surrounding area.
Jorge Lopez, a local health department official, told the country’s RPP radio at the time: “The odour is strong and it’s affecting nearby communities.
“There are 500 families close by and they have symptoms of nausea, vomiting, digestive problems and general sickness.”
It is understood 12 people were treated for the disease, all of whom needed oxygen masks and rehydration.
Kazakhstan Sleeping Sickness of 2013
Residents in a small village in Kazakhstan couldn’t stop falling asleep over a bizarre period only a few years ago.
While there had been a small number of cases of people sleeping for several days in 2010, it was three years later that the situation became much more serious.
Over one weekend, several villagers fell asleep one weekend and were unable to stay awake for longer than a few minutes.
Authorities in the country estimated some 100 people were affected by the mysterious contagion that lasted for several months into 2014.
While there has been no official explanation for the cause of the illness, Kazakh officials believe uranium mines near the village could be the culprit.
The English Sweating Illness
In the 15th and 16th centuries, a strange illness stalked Europe causing uncontrollable sweating and mass deaths.
The extraordinary illness started will a mere headache and giddiness before the victim became drenched in sweat.
Within three to eight hours a rash appeared on the body – which could indicate someone was near death.
Fortunately, those who survived for 24 hours would likely see off the deadly sweat.
Numerous experts believe the illness was caused by a disease that could have been passed on by rodents, similar to the plague.
A study into viruses by Paul Heyman claimed: “The clustering of the cases, the pulmonary components as described by Le Forestier and the outbreaks after abundant rainfall, in fact, resemble the epidemics caused by population fluctuations of infected peridomestic small mammal populations.”
Source: Read Full Article