What is 'Dinga Dinga', the excessive body-shaking disease leaving people in Uganda sick?

A bizarre and unsettling disease has taken hold in Uganda, leaving hundreds of people, mostly women and children, shaken—literally.

Known as ‘Dinga Dinga’,  which translates to “shaking like dancing” in the local dialect, is a mysterious illness that causes uncontrollable body shaking and difficulties in walking.

Though it has yet to cause any deaths, the disease is spreading fast in the African country, and health authorities are scrambling to uncover its cause, local media reports suggest.

Here’s what we know about the Dinga Dinga.

Symptoms of Dinga Dinga

The strange illness, first reported in Uganda’s Bundibugyo district, presents a variety of unsettling symptoms, with the most notable being excessive body shaking resembling dance-like movements.

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Alongside this, individuals also experience high fever, extreme weakness, and, in some cases, a feeling of paralysis. Local media reports suggest that walking becomes nearly impossible for those affected, as the uncontrollable shaking makes movement a challenge.

One patient, Patience Katusiime, shared her personal experience with the illness, describing how her body shook uncontrollably, despite feeling paralysed.

“I felt weak and got paralyzed, with my body shaking uncontrollably whenever I tried to walk,” the 18-year-old told the Ugandan newspaper Monitor.

“It was very disturbing. I was taken to Bundibugyo Hospital for treatment, and thank God, I am now fine,” she added.

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So far, the illness has only been confirmed in Bundibugyo, with approximately 300 cases documented, though no fatalities have been reported.

近日，东非内陆国家乌干达的西部本迪布焦区，爆发一种被当地人称为「Dinga Dinga」的神秘疾病，意思是「像跳舞一样摇晃」，患者会全身虚弱乏力，走路时身体更不能自控的颤动，远看像在「跳舞」，而且会出现发烧症状。
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— 背包健客 (@bbjk666) December 17, 2024

The disease, first detected in early 2023, is still under investigation, with health laboratories working to pinpoint its cause. Samples have been sent to Uganda’s Ministry of Health for further analysis.

This outbreak follows just months after a new strain of mpox was reported in Uganda and other East African countries, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the ultra-deadly clade 1b variant a global public health emergency. This strain has since reached other continents, with cases detected in several countries in Europe and Asia.

Treatment for Dinga Dinga

Dr Kiyita Christopher, the district health officer, shared with local media that Dinga Dinga is typically treatable with antibiotics provided by community health teams.

While some patients have turned to herbal remedies in an effort to alleviate their symptoms, health officials strongly discourage this approach.

“There is no scientific evidence that herbal medicine can treat this disease,” Dr Christopher stated. “We are using specific treatments, and patients usually recover within a week. I urge locals to seek treatment from health facilities within the district,” he added.

As the number of reported cases continues to rise, scientists and medical professionals remain hopeful that further analysis will soon shed light on the cause of this mysterious illness. In the meantime, local health services are on high alert, actively treating those affected and monitoring for any potential new cases.

A mystery disease in neighbouring DRC

While Uganda is grappling with Dinga Dinga, its neighbour, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been dealing with another mysterious illness, referred to by the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as "disease X."

Since late October, the Panzi health zone in Kwango Province, DRC, has reported 406 cases of the unidentified illness. Tragically, authorities have confirmed at least 79 deaths, the majority of which have been children under the age of five.

The symptoms include fever, headache, cough, body aches, breathing difficulties, and a runny nose, with more severe cases linked to malnutrition and anaemia.

Laboratory tests are ongoing, and illnesses such as pneumonia, malaria, measles, and COVID-19 are among the suspected causes. Malaria, being common in the region, is also under investigation as a potential contributor.

Experts have raised concerns about the potential for further spread of the disease and have not ruled out the possibility of it being airborne. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that the global risk remains low, but the proximity of the region to Angola raises concerns about cross-border transmission.

In response, rapid response teams have been deployed to enhance case management, improve surveillance, and collect samples for further testing. However, efforts have been hindered by the region’s remoteness, security challenges, and limited health infrastructure.

With input from agencies