Le Roy (WSYR-TV) -- Is it mass hysteria or the result of a toxic spill 30 years ago? Rochester-area students affected by a mysterious outbreak of Tourette’s-like syndromes are still looking for answers.
Tempers in Le Roy are flaring because the explanations health officials have offered for the girls’ tics are seen as insufficient.
“They were too quick to reach a diagnosis and they did minimal testing,” said Lana Clark, whose daughter suffers from the unexplained symptoms.
Clark explained on Tuesday’s "Good Morning America" that she has refused to accept a diagnosis of “mass hysteria” and sought a second opinion of her own.
“He did extensive testing and reached a diagnosis for my daughter... It's first caused by a kind of strep... Lauren repeatedly had strep throat over the years,” Clark explained.
No matter what the cause, the dozen or so people suffering from tics, seizures and outbursts – mostly young women – are desperate to find a cure and the symptoms are becoming too much to bear.
“I feel like I’m getting stabbed or something,” said Lauren Scalzo, who’s been experiencing the Tourette’s-like symptoms.
Several families are advocating for environmental testing by a group led by famed activist Erin Brockovich. This is despite health department tests that have already been conducted and so far have found no indication of environmental irregularities.
One doctor who has not treated the girls says the situation could be attributed to social media. He suggests that watching people with these tics might prompt others to subconsciously imitate them.
