Highly Infectious Skin Disease Lurks in Remote Villages in Mindanao
A highly infectious skin disease thought to have been controlled in 1970s strikes poor villages again over some parts of the Philippines.
The World Health Organization calls the tropical skin disease as “Yaws” but the locals call it “Bakataw”. The illness is endangering very young children who are the most vulnerable to ailments.
The disease could rapidly spread among young kids through skin contact. The infection usually starts with pink bumps that evolve into crusty yellow ulcers and eventually spread over the body and could even affect the face.
The ulcers would also dig deeper into the skin as the infection gets worse and could damage the bones and joints when left untreated. Bakataw usually looks like a moist cauliflower with a pink base.
Philippine General Hospital Division of Dermatology Dr. Belen Lardizabal Dofitas said that the tropical disease continues to lurk in the remotest and poorest villages in Mindanao. Dofitas also warned the public that the yaws are caused by “Treponema pallidum pertenue” bacteria.
Treponema pallidum pertenue bacterial could be treated using antibiotics. It is important to treat the illness immediately because it could block future employment opportunities due to blood test error.
“The study is ongoing and I am trying to reach as many practitioners as I can—government doctors, dermatologists nationwide, health center staff, municipal health offices and even health center physicians. We need scientific evidence to help people with yaws,” Dofitas said.
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