One episode featured a terrible illness that spread to multiple characters at the high school they attended. The symptoms included severe dizziness, rashes and breathing troubles.
Shortly after this episode aired, a few kids developed those symptoms of what is now referred to as the Morangos com Acar Virus, and before long it spread to 14 different high schools, affecting 300 children. Some schools had to close due to the severity of the outbreak.
After investigating the epidemic, the Portuguese National Institute for Medical Emergency concluded that it was a case of mass hysteria, which conveniently happened just before Final Exams. "I know of no disease which is so selective that it only attacks school children," said Dr Mario Almeidi.
The epidemic made parents aware of the influence that the television series has over their kids. Its twisting plot and over-exaggerated themes, together with the dramatized ups and downs that these handsome actors had to 'face,' was designed to attract and capture teenage audiences.
This example of mass hysteria is a lesson on how powerful the spread of ideas within a society can be.
