CASCADE Nine-year-old Ira Saxena suffers from a bizarre condition which means she sneeze 8,000 times a day

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Ira Saxena started sneezing exactly three weeks ago today and has been plagued with pain - forcing her to stop going to school. The bizarre ailment means she has also had to give up her hobbies of painting, singing and swimming, Her worried parents, Priya and Sapan, have been to doctors, specialists and even a hypnotherapist to get to the bottom go it - but no-one knows what is wrong.

Ira, who lives Colchester, Essex, said: “It is really horrible, my face really hurts every time I sneeze, it just shoots a sharp pain in my head and my sides. “I can't go to school, I can't finish the day, because I'm sneezing so much. “Some friends they think it is contagious, but it is not, so they don't want to sit with me.

CASCADE Her parents are concerned for her, because no doctor has been able to diagnose the issue

“I can't really go outside, as it makes it worse and more violent.

I can't go to school, I can't finish the day, because I'm sneezing so much Ira Saxena

“I can't go swimming because I'd just be sneezing so much, and the teacher would probably send me home anyway. “All I do nowadays is just sit at home, I can't really do anything.“ Mother Priya, a primary school teacher, has been frantically trying to find a medicine to stop her youngest daughter's sneezing. Her family have even timed the sneezes on their phones to work out the frequency. They calculated Ira does it up to 8,000 times a day - but thankfully she does not sneeze at night, so her sleep isn't disturbed. Priya, 42, said: “It is just horrible for her. There must be somebody out there who has seen something like this before. “I think I am more emotionally drained than Ira, I think she has been really brave.

CASCADE The poor girl has tried multiple treatments and medicine but there is not cure

“She loves singing and playing music and she can't do it, we just want to get back to normal as soon as possible. “We have tried everything even prayer, we just want something to work. “The doctors are saying it could possibly be a tick, where the brain is sending the wrong signals. “It is not something life threatening, it is just we don't know how long it will go on before it stops. “She just wants to go back to her swimming and her lessons.“

CASCADE Ira has not been able to go to school because of the intense pain

Top 10 most contagious illnesses Fri, October 2, 2015 The Top 10 most contagious illnesses Play slideshow Getty Images/Science Photo Libra 1 of 10 Smallpox has been eradicated in its human form officially since 1979 - Despite this many countries continue to implicate required vaccination as way of precaution from the illness