December 23

Old World of Darkness Events

 * 2003
 * A mysterious and massive outbreak of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, has sparked panic and fears of an epidemic or worse in Egypt and throughout parts of the Middle East. Over the past week, over 600 newborns between the ages of six weeks and less than 24 hours have died of unexplained causes in hospitals throughout Egypt. Physicians and medical experts say that while sudden and unexplained deaths do occur with some infants, the breadth of this outbreak is completely unprecedented and may represent an unknown infection of some kind. “SIDS is not a contagious disease,” says Dr. Mariq Hanoush of Cairo. “This epidemic clearly involves something beyond simply random chance. Frankly, we’re at a loss.” Egyptian authorities have declared a state of emergency and called upon the assistance of the World Health Organization. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also volunteered experts and resources to aid in both isolating and containing the cause of the fatalities.