Yaws Symptoms Treatment and Prevention

Yaws is a disease spread by contact with other people. Its incubation period is usually 2 weeks to 2 months. Yaws was a very widespread disease, affecting the rural areas of almost all tropical countries, where the rural population lacked medical services and a knowledge of hygiene, and especially where people used to live in overcrowded houses and wore little clothing. The clinical features and symptoms of yaws occur in three stages, but the first stage may not be noticed or may be very short, or may overlap the second stage.

First stage: an inflamed papule appears, increases in size and ulcerates. This sore is called the primary lesion, and leaves a scar.

Second stage: the infection spreads 1 to 3 months after the primary lesion appears, and little secondary lesions appear, especially in the axillae, groin, and other moist warm places.

They are very painful when they appear on the soles of the foot and the palms of the hands. These do not usually leave scars when they heal.

Moreover, at this stage the bones may be affected, and infection of the bones of the fingers is particularly common. These lesions have no after-effects when they heal; they do not destroy bone as other forms of osteomyelitis do.

Third stage: this fortunately only occurs in a few patients, as most have no third stage. At this stage, about 5 years after the secondary lesions, nodules called gunmata appear under the skin and on the bones, and they'll eventually break down and ulcerate.

Often they are near joints and interfere with their use, and they destroy bone, or merely the palate and the nasal bones, or they may have other serious consequences.

Yaws Treatment

The occurrence of yaws has been greatly reduced in most parts of the world by the introduction of penicillin. One to 3 injections of PAM cure the disease completely.

Cause. A bacterium called Treponema pertenue.

Source. The sores of other people suffering from yaws.

Route. Yaws is partly a family disease, spread by direct contact, or by utensils.

Yaws Susceptibles Members of the same family. Children are especially susceptible, as about 70 per cent of yaws occurs in the 50 per cent of the population under the age of 16.

Yaws Prevention

Early treatment with penicillin. The WHO and UNICEF in badly affected countries ran Yaws Eradication Campaigns which have more or less eradicated yaws from many countries.

In this campaigns, all houses were visited and those suffering from yaws, together with their close contacts, were treated with penicillin. General cleanliness of the body and home, wearing of shoes and clothing also help to decrease the chances of spread.