You've probably heard of the laughter plague or perhaps the dancing plague. But it turns out, there is another outbreak that is no less unusual, namely an outbreak of a shrinking penis.
This fear has even hit many countries in the world, for example Singapore, including Indonesia. Rumors began in 1969, where Singapore was being blown by a hoax in the form of swine flu that could shrink the penis.
Quickly, many Singaporean men were running to the hospital while 'keeping' their penises a little less. They even go so far as to tie it with rubber, rope or clamp it with chopsticks, as quoted by us from Mothership.
As it turned out, they weren't really experiencing a shrinking penis, but rather their own concern. The Singapore Medical Association (SMA) even held a press conference and stated that the cause of 'Koro Disease' was rumors and fear.
Likewise the Chinese Physician Association, informed that shook yong (another name for Koro Disease) is the result of 'fear, spreading rumors, climatic conditions, and imbalance between the heart and kidneys'.
As soon as the Singapore High School and Ministry of Health made the announcement, the number of people reporting Koro dropped sharply. Within a month, no more Koro cases were reported. In the end, there were more than 460 officially reported cases of Koro at the hospital.
Meanwhile, according to Inside Indonesia, the first Koro case occurred between 1895-1935. What's unique, apart from medical treatment, is that some Indonesians choose to go to a dukun to 'treat' their shrinking penis -- which is actually just a form of fear.
Shamans usually make a concoction of traditional oils that are blended themselves, then massage them into the legs and stomach. The shaman himself avoids massaging the penis area, the patient himself can do it.