The little girl with PANDAS problem

Twelve-year-old Lauren Johnson (picture above) of Virginia sneezed 12,000 times a day the whole year round! A week ago, she was finally diagnosed with a relatively unknown affliction called PANDAS or Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus.

Child neurologist Rosario Trifiletti who is treating Lauren, says PANDAS symptoms include:
• Cognitive inflexibility, difficult to reason with, as if stuck on an idea
• Obsessive/repetitive/compulsive argumentative behaviour
• TICS (repetitive vocalisations of body movements)
• Tourettes Syndrome
• Attention deficits and oppositional/defiant behaviours.

Lauren was placed on antibiotics and has improved considerably, says Dr Trifiletti. But she is at risk of getting this again, so she would probably receive a low dose of antibiotics for a long period of time.

PANDAS was only discovered 13 years ago after lots of trial and error. Dr Trifiletti says there could be millions of kids suffering from PANDAS, but only several thousand have been diagnosed.

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World Anti-Corruption Day

December 9 is World Anti-Corruption Day. I didn't know there's such a day until I heard it announced on BBC radio.

Here's an editorial excerpt from the Manila Bulletin, a leading newspaper in one of the world's most corrupt environment:

"Some say that corruption is the world’s second eldest profession and may end up as being the last.

"But corruption need not be a way of life. Recent international and national problems have shown that corruption can be separated into components which can be addressed. A vital tool in the fight against corruption is the enforcement of laws, strong political will. Once corruption is isolated, programs can be put in place that can identify where corruption exists in society, what it is costing citizens, and its impact on the economy..."

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