TropIKA » Yaws

Ghana steps up efforts against neglected infections

Paul Chinnock — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:53:09 +0000

Dr Nana Kwadwo Biritwum, Programme Manager of the Neglected Tropical Disease Control Programme of the Ghana Health Service, has spoken of the government’s plans to improve the control of neglected infections, including buruli ulcer, lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases and yaws. The main emphasis will be on prevention. Partnership will be emphasized, including partnership with endemic communities themselves.

The interview with Dr Biritwum is available on GhanaWeb.

Yaws outbreak suspected in the Philippines

Paul Chinnock — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:53:35 +0000

Health authorities in the Philippines report high rates of an infection, which could either be syphilis or the serious skin disease yaws, amongst women fleeing civil conflict on the island of Mindanao - see IRIN News. Further tests will, however, be needed to determine the precise identity of the infection.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which is working in the conflict zone, says a quarter of women undergoing antenatal and post-natal care have tested positive for treponematosis. This group of infections includes both syphilis and other non-sexually transmitted diseases such as yaws. Provincial health officer Elizabeth Samama said the women could have yaws as it is known to exist in the area. Given that yaws most commonly infects children, it does seem likely that most of these women are infected with syphilis. Nevertheless, MSF has stressed the importance of further testing.

Yaws can progress to cause major damage to bone and cartilage and is known to be re-emerging in poor, rural and marginalised populations in Africa, Asia and South America.

Yaws: a rare mention

Paul Chinnock — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:14:11 +0000

It has been said that yaws is not a ‘neglected’ infection but a condition that has been entirely forgotten. This disease, which can cause serious damage to skin and bone, has not gone away and may indeed be increasing in parts of Africa, but it seldom receives a mention even from organizations focusing on the infectious diseases of poverty.

It is therefore encouraging to note that UNICEF, in its media releases for this year’s Day of the African Child is featuring a ten-year-old Congolese boy who is receiving yaws treatment.

It is not clear whether UNICEF has any plan to attempt to restart yaws eradication efforts but anything which highlights the disease is a step in the right direction.

A recent review article on yaws has been highlighted on TropIKA.net.

Increase reported in Ghana’s yaws cases

Paul Chinnock — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:16:17 +0000

Media reports devoted to yaws are rare. It is therefore interesting to see this brief account, from the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, of the situation in the West Akim area. There were over 2000 yaws cases in the area last year; in 2006 there were fewer than 500.

Ghana is known to be one of the countries where yaws eradication efforts have failed; 26,000 cases were reported there nationally in 2005. Based on the experience of West Akim, it is possible that the figure may have increased. An article featured on TropIKA.net last year pointed out that no global estimate of yaws prevalence is available. The author of this article argued that, while it seems to be increasing, the disease would be one of the easiest to eradicate worldwide.