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Health organisations are warning of a major epidemic that has taken hold in the UK, especially in England. It is believed to be an outbreak of the virulent Calix Mundi fever, which occurs in four year cycles.

Symptoms include
• Developing obsessive interests and strange behaviours – such as kicking things around, anything to do with a tiny group of sports personalities, inability to discuss anything else, shouting things at random, wearing sports clothes all the time.
• Complete inability to judge the skill level of others, leading to unreasonable expectations of them and related serious errors of judgement such as gambling.
• Wandering away from work or other activities, often making up excuses to cover this activity. A large number of sufferers find it necessary at this time to gather in groups with other sufferers and consume large amounts of alcohol. This is followed by
• Bouts of extreme lethargy, during which the sufferer will be unable to move from a particular spot, will be nervous and edgy, and suffer rapid swings of emotion between elation and depression. During this time they may shout unintelligibly from time to time. These bouts occur every week or so in a period of between 3 and 6 weeks. They last between 100 and 150 minutes after which the elation or depression may continue for some time afterwards.
• Some sufferers can display an increase dislike of certain nationalities and some figures of authority. This is particularly intense if they are depressed after one of the bouts of lethargy.

Catching the virus•
The virus is not normally spread through close contact, although young males seem particularly prone to it, especially those who regularly congregate in the open in large closely crowded groups. This years outbreak seems mainly to be confined to England, unlike in previous outbreaks when more of the British Isles were affected. It is reported to have broken out in a number of other nations around the world.

Treatment
• Victims should not be approached or disturbed especially during the bouts of lethargy and immediately afterwards.
• In the UK a voluntary scheme has been instituted whereby sufferers are asked to display or wear a red cross on a white background to warn other of their affliction. Avoid close contact with them if at all possible.
• The infection should pass by the end of July and does not normally leave any permanent effects on its victims, although the depression may continue for some time after this. Those infected in the particularly widespread 1966 infection still show some of the symptoms from time to time but this is very unusual.