Has anyone heard of Morgellons?

Question

I hear from the CDC this is a growing concern in CA, TX and FL
itchy ,creepy crawling feeling and it gets weirder

Answer 1

Most individuals with this disease report disturbing crawling, stinging, and biting sensations, as well as non-healing skin lesions, which are associated with highly unusual structures. These structures can be described as fiber-like or filamentous, and are the most striking feature of this disease. In addition, patients report the presence of seed-like granules and black speck-like material associated with their skin.
The peripheral nervous system is often affected by this disease, but the most significant element of the infection, appears to be the effect on the central nervous sytem. Nearly all people with this illness report extreme difficulty with mental concentration and short term memory. Mood disorders, such as depression and Bipolar Disorder, are extremely common in this group of patients, affecting well over half of all individuals reporting symptoms of Morgellons Disease.
The majority of individuals reporting symptoms of Morgellons Disease reside in California, Texas, and Florida.
Distinct geographic "cluster" areas of this disease have been noted near Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego in California - as well as near Houston, Dallas, Austin, and Round Rock in Texas.
Symptoms include:
Fatigue
Crawling sensations in limbs
Lesions
Fibers or granules pulled from lesions (usually white, but also eported in array of colors) These fibers exhibit a high degree of autofluorescence and are not textile derived.
Changes in skin pigment and texture

There are two possible causes of Morgellons Disease that are widely discussed on the internet. These include an infection of the bacterium Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and an infestation of the arthropod Collembola.

Answer 2

I've done some reading on the matter, but I don't think I would call it a growing concern that regular people should lose much sleep over. The University of Oklahoma Health Science division is studying the phenomena to try to determine a possible cause, and has asked physicians all over the world to assist them by sending samples and case historys to them. I think it is more frightening to read about because there has been so much sensationalism about it. There have been enough truly mentally disturbed people posting things on the web to really throw things off and make it that much more difficult for the scientists and doctors to study it. Even the private organizations aren't making it that much easier, since they have people self identify and self diagnose, so you don't have any good way to weed out who actually is suffering from it and who suffers from other causes. The only thing I've seen so far is that it may be correlated somehow to Lyme's Disease, as many of the cases have been previously diagnosed with that.
I agree, it's weird. It almost seems like something out of a science fiction movie, but then real life is often weirder than fiction. The idea of something growing in your body is disturbing, and the morbid fascination with that idea just adds to all the mystique. Still, as diseases go, you are a far higher risk for a lot of other serious diseases and problems than you are for Morgellons- so I don't think its worth the time or effort to stress over the possibility of getting this one. Weird, yes. But luckily, it doesn't seem to be fatal, and it's still extremely rare.