The mysterious disease of the war generation
Nodding Syndrome
Nodding Syndrome is a devastating neurological disease that emerged in Northern Uganda after the war, affecting children aged 5–15. It causes repeated head-nodding seizures, stunted growth, cognitive decline, and — untreated — death. Cases cluster almost entirely in former IDP camp areas.
The symptoms
Seizures are triggered by food or cold. Children stop growing physically and mentally. Many wander from home during seizures and are lost, injured, or killed. Families with affected children are often unable to farm or work.
The cause — still contested
Research links the disease to the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus (river blindness), possibly combined with wartime malnutrition. It has never been documented outside conflict-affected communities in East Africa.
Acholi Resilience's role
Our Vice President Beatrice loaded a bus of emaciated, seizing children to Mulago National Referral Hospital in the peak of the outbreak — the moment Nodding Syndrome first received national attention. The Sanctuary of Hope is the long-term response.
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