2014 El Carmen de Bolívar illness outbreak

Illness outbreak in Colombian municipality Beginning in March 2014 and increasing substantially in May and June 2014, over 600 teenage girls and women in es El Carmen de Bolívar no, Colombia developed medically unexplained symptoms, including fainting, twitching, and loss of consciousness. Media and residents suggested the symptoms resulted from HPV vaccines, although health officials found no link between the vaccine and the symptoms.Carrillo Paula 2014-09-18 Mystery illness plagues girls in Colombia https://sg.news.yahoo.com/mystery-illness-plagues-girls-colombia-052825312.html 2024-10-12 Yahoo News en-SG Agence France-Presse The event has been labeled as an example of mass psychogenic illness by medical professionals and by then-Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos.Simas Clarissa Munoz Nubia Arregoces Leonardo Larson Heidi J. 2018-09-07 HPV vaccine confidence and cases of mass psychogenic illness following immunization in Carmen de Bolivar, Colombia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6363158/ Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics 15 1 163–166 10.1080/21645515.2018.1511667 2164-5515 6363158 30118381Mentjox Gabrielle 2014-09-01 'Mass hysteria' probable cause of mystery illness in 100s of Colombia schoolgirls: President Santos https://colombiareports.com/mass-hysteria-probable-cause-mystery-illness-100s-colombia-schoolgirls-president-santos/ 2024-10-12 Colombia Reports en Progression of events The first girl in es El Carmen de Bolívar no to develop symptoms did so in late March 2014.2014-08-29 El misterio detrás del desmayo de 200 niñas en Colombia https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2014/08/140828_salud_colombia_200_ninas_hospitalizadas_lv 2025-03-08 BBC News Mundo es Between 29 May and 2 June, 15 female students from es Colegio Espíritu Santo no were admitted to the local es Nuestra Senora del Carmen no hospital after developing "tachycardia, shortness of breath, and numbness of the limbs". Health officials considered "possible food, water, lead, or pesticide poisoning" as causes, while several of the girls' parents linked the symptoms to the Gardasil vaccine; the girls had received the second dose of the vaccine in school two months prior.Gomez Yolanda T. 2016-05-28 Dos años del enigmático desmayo de niñas vacunadas contra el papiloma https://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/CMS-16606101 2024-10-12 El Tiempo spanish Several of the girls were sent to hospitals in es Sincelejo no and es Barranquilla np, after continuing to show symptoms following their discharge. The school had not notified parents of the school vaccination campaign, a fact which was later criticized by the media. Videos and images of the original 15 girls spread on social media. In the following weeks after 2 June, "over 600 cases" of girls developing similar symptoms following HPV vaccination were reported across the country. Cases tended to peak with increased media coverage of the events, and "no cases were reported during the weekends and holiday periods". es Nuestra Señora del Carmen no hospital in El Carmen de Bolívar was "overwhelmed" by the number of girls brought to the hospital. Hospital staff provided affected people with oxygen and saline solution, and taught them breathing techniques. Some girls were also transferred to hospitals in es Bogotá no, where at least two were diagnosed with lead poisoning. Girls in es El Carmen de Bolívar no continued to experience symptoms as of May 2016. Twenty of the affected girls had attempted suicide; one was successful. Investigations and responses The Colombian National Institute of Health undertook a "thorough epidemiologic investigation" of 517 of the affected girls, and found "no organic association between adverse reactions and the HPV vaccination". American physician Iván Mendoza, the medical director of electrophysiology at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, United States, came to the same conclusion in an independent report, attributing the symptoms to psychogenic illness. Many parents and relatives of affected girls did not accept the reports of the investigations. In August 2014, residents of es El Carmen de Bolívar no marched to demand the government thoroughly investigate the cases.2014-08-27 Hundreds of teenage girls in Colombia struck by mystery illness - National https://globalnews.ca/news/1530883/hundreds-of-teenage-girls-in-colombia-struck-by-mystery-illness/ 2024-10-12 Global News en-US Associated Press In January 2015, the Colombian government released an official report saying the girls' symptoms were due to psychological causes.Goyeneche Teresita 2015-10-28 Algo malo está pasando en este pueblo Something bad is happening in this town https://www.vice.com/es/article/algo-malo-est-pasando-en-este-pueblo/ 2024-10-12 VICE es 2015-01-04 Extraños síntomas en niñas de El Carmen de Bolívar no tienen relación con vacuna contra VPH https://www.elespectador.com/colombia/cartagena/extranos-sintomas-en-ninas-de-el-carmen-de-bolivar-no-tienen-relacion-con-vacuna-contra-vph-article-536142/ 2024-10-12 El Espectador es Impact The event severely impacted the Colombian public's confidence in the HPV vaccine. 2015-02-13 Caso de niñas del Carmen de Bolívar desplomó vacunación contra el VPH https://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/CMS-15246061 2024-10-12 El Tiempo spanish In 2012, 98% of eligible girls in the country had received the first dose of the vaccine, and 88% had received all three; by 2016, 14% of girls had received one dose, and 5% all three. References Further reading Maldonado O.J. Johnson Ericka https://www.google.com/books/edition/Gendering_Drugs/QwArDgAAQBAJ 5: Hysteria, Social Protest and Evidence as Violence Gendering Drugs: Feminist Studies of Pharmaceuticals 2017-02-20 Springer 978-3-319-51487-1 en 148-158 Category:2014 in Colombia Category:Bolívar Department Category:Health in Colombia Category:Mass psychogenic illness Category:Vaccine hesitancy