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University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Neurology 2011;76:1410–4.
Editor’s note: The authors investigated the relationship between the prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS), infectious mononucleosis (caused by Epstein–Barr virus), and ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) intensity readings, as provided by the NASA Nimbus 7 satellite. The results showed that the distribution of MS across England, UK can be explained both by the level of UVB exposure and the prevalence of infectious mononucleosis. The role of UVB in generating vitamin D seems to be the most likely explanation for its relationship with MS.