Just odd ...
VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) - Villagers believe it was the work of evil spirits, a psychologist says it may have been shock but authorities are still uncertain what caused 36 high school girls to suffer simultaneous fits, a newspaper said Thursday.
A high school in the central province of Bolikhamsay reported that on April 25 a girl began shaking uncontrollably in her classroom. On seeing her, 21 others began to exhibit similar symptoms, while the next day 14 more girls were similarly affected as they were walking into the school, according to the Vientiane Times.
An ambulance was called to the school and several girls were taken to the provincial hospital, where authorities could not establish the cause of the fits. The school was closed for the rest of the week, and monks were brought in to bless it "to get rid of evil spirits, as local residents believed that spirits were the cause of the strange phenomenon," the newspaper said.
Dr. Sisouk Vongphachan, head of mental health at Vientiane's Mahosot Hospital, was quoted as saying that the fits could have resulted from stress and that some girls might have fallen into a state of shock when they saw the condition of their friends.
The doctor said he had seen five similar cases among garment factory workers.
A high school in the central province of Bolikhamsay reported that on April 25 a girl began shaking uncontrollably in her classroom. On seeing her, 21 others began to exhibit similar symptoms, while the next day 14 more girls were similarly affected as they were walking into the school, according to the Vientiane Times.
An ambulance was called to the school and several girls were taken to the provincial hospital, where authorities could not establish the cause of the fits. The school was closed for the rest of the week, and monks were brought in to bless it "to get rid of evil spirits, as local residents believed that spirits were the cause of the strange phenomenon," the newspaper said.
Dr. Sisouk Vongphachan, head of mental health at Vientiane's Mahosot Hospital, was quoted as saying that the fits could have resulted from stress and that some girls might have fallen into a state of shock when they saw the condition of their friends.
The doctor said he had seen five similar cases among garment factory workers.