Nodding disease
![Map of counties of South Sudan affected by nodding disease. Several of these are in the Central Equatoria state, in the south of the country near the border with Uganda; Juba on the White Nile is the nation's capital. The red district was already affected in 2001, in yellow districts the disease was prevalent as of 2011 and in green districts there are only sporadic reports.[1]](/Images/godic/202501/29/Sudan_districts_affected_by_nodding_disease.svg3105.png")
Nodding disease or nodding syndrome is a recent, little-known disease which emerged in Sudan in the 1960s. It is a mentally and physically disabling disease that only affects children, typically between the ages of 5 and 15. It is currently restricted to small regions in South Sudan, Tanzania, and northern Uganda. Prior to the South Sudan outbreaks and subsequent limited spread, the disease was first described in 1962 existing in secluded mountainous regions of Tanzania, although the connection between that disease and nodding syndrome was only made recently.