Mono-Mute Syndrome

I just now heard about a new condition, Mono-Mute Syndrome (MMS) that is tearing through Lousiana. Apparently the syndrome disables certain parts of the vocal cords or spech center of the brain (I'm not really sure), with the result that the sufferer can speak only a single syllable. And I don't mean, one syllable at a time, I mean only one syllable. Rosetta James, pictured above, is able only to pronounce "gal."
The agent of the disease has been identified: it is a fungal spore that reproduces in the vocal cords of it's victims. The fungus is believed to have sprung up in the numerous partially flooded buildings in New Orleans and in the nearby area. At the moment the symptoms have mostly been reported in the homeless, who have tended to spend more time in abandoned houses than others, but the disease is slowly spreading to the general populace.
The method of transmission is also known. The spore requires a warm, moist, tranquil environment to multiply. By partially paralyzing the victims vocal chords, the spores guarantee certain calm areas within the vocal chords in which spores can grow. The actual transmission of the spore takes place during what is being called the "false recovery" phase. When the spores have reached sufficient numbers, the victim will suddenly and seemingly miraculously recover their speech. This is simply a mechanism to spread the spore to nearby listeners, as the new activity in the previously calm areas of the vocal chords releases clouds of the spores into the air. The victim will revert to their mono-syllabic state only minutes after their "recovery."
The biggest danger of this disease was in the first hours. People generally disregarded the strange, choked noises the sufferers made, as the majority of the victims were homeless and conceivably mentally unstable. The next victims were homeless shelter workers and hospital staff. However, now that knowledge of the disease is growing, there is little to worry about. If you spot a victim, direct them to a hospital where they can receive treatment. Without treatment, the fungus will remain in the vocal chords and the victim will continue to lack the majority of their vocal capabilities. The long term effects of the fungus are unknown, but permanent vocal chord and speech impairment is suspected.
One interesting byproduct of the disease is the new culture that has developed due to MMS. Many groups of individuals lacking the means to acquire proper medical care have banded together to combine their various syllables. Several sufferers of MMS can form a word, allow ing communication with non-sufferers. By finding new victims with new syllables, the culture slowly adds to it's vocabulary and extends it's ability to interact. The mechanism by which the spoken syllable is selected is not yet known.