Researchers from the Center for Disease Control, the Montpellier University Hospital in France, UK Department for International Development, UNICEF, and professors at Oregon health and Science University in US have agreed to work as a team in studying and unearthing the cause of nodding disease. The disease has killed over 1,000 children in Uganda, South Sudan and Tanzania.

Peter Spencer, a professor of neurology (School of Medicine) at Oregon Health and Science University in the US confirmed the development and said the new comprehensive study would involve examining the food, and drinks consumed by the nodding disease patients among others.

Spencer says that the researchers would also focus on establishing the environment in which the nodding disease viruses grow up and how effective the disease can be treated/ controlled.

The professor says that they want establish whether the syndrome is neurologic, psychiatric or both. He says that the victims who will be found to be having the neurologic type would be removed from epileptic drugs and a new type of treatment prescribed for them.

Phillip Gelisse, an expert in epilepsy at the Montpellier University Hospital in France says that the research will help the World Health Organisation (WHO) to understand the nodding disease.