South Carolina "June Bug" Outbreak (1962)

In June 1962, 62 workers at a South Carolina textile mill showed symptoms attributed to bug bites from a fabric shipment, but the US Public Health Service found no evidence of insect involvement. Experts identified poor working conditions and stress as likely culprits, suggesting that the "June Bug" may have been a manifestation of untrained medical staff. Experts also explained the outbreak as a social contagion, affecting a close-knit group of mainly female coworkers who shared long hours together.