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Are these moths blinding children? Nepalese researchers seek answers

Researchers are carrying out environmental surveys and genomic sequencing to try to learn more about SHAPU, a severe eye condition that mainly affects children — but funding is still scarce.
  1. Saugat Bolakhe

    1. Saugat Bolakhe is a freelance writer in New York City.

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A furry white moth sitting on some greenery.

A moth from the Gazalina genus. An unidentified type of white moth, perhaps a species of Gazalina, has been linked with outbreaks of a debilitating eye disease in Nepal. Credit: Licheng Shih via iNaturalist (CC BY 4.0)

September is typically the end of the monsoon season in Nepal — and the time of year when eye clinicians begin to worry. A mysterious and debilitating eye infection, known as seasonal hyperacute panuveitis1 (SHAPU), starts affecting people, mainly children, in some parts of the country. Symptoms typically begin with a painless reddening and loss of pressure in one eye. If the condition is not treated in 24–48 hours, the children are at risk of losing their eyesight.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-03414-7

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 06 November 2023: A previous version of this article stated that Nepal has no metagenomic sequencing laboratories. The text has been corrected.

References

  1. Karn, M. & Gurung, J. Lancet Glob. Health 10, e39–e40 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Upadhyay, M. P. et al. Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 28, 250–257 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

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