Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Am Acad Dermatol 2020 Jul 6. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. Electronic address:

Sci Rep 2020 Jun 11;10(1):9499. Epub 2020 Jun 11.

Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.

Developments in techniques for identification of pathogen DNA in archaeological samples can expand our resolution of disease detection. Our application of a non-targeted molecular screening tool for the parallel detection of pathogens in historical plague victims from post-medieval Lithuania revealed the presence of more than one active disease in one individual. In addition to Yersinia pestis, we detected and genomically characterized a septic infection of Treponema pallidum pertenue, a subtype of the treponemal disease family recognised as the cause of the tropical disease yaws. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2020 Jun 3;20(1):392. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Work Group Neglected Tropical Diseases, Infection Biology Unit, Deutsches Primatezentrum GmbH, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.

Background: The first yaws eradication campaign reduced the prevalence of yaws by 95%. In recent years, however, yaws has reemerged and is currently subject to a second, ongoing eradication campaign. Yet, the epidemiological status of Tanzania and 75 other countries with a known history of human yaws is currently unknown. Read More

Assist Inferm Ric 2020 Jan-Mar;39(1):47-56

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Introduction: Against the increasing recognition of the critical importance of a direct participation of community members to assure effective health care in peripheral areas of Middle and Low Income Countries (MLIC), representative field experiences of their essential role are only occasionally available.

Aims And Methods: We report a narrative, factual documentation of a spectrum of projects covering the basic and specific health needs of the disperse communities in Ecuador, a model MLIC, and discuss the broader implications of the role and performance of HPs over a long period, 1980-2018, in the project activation, implementation and monitoring. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2020 Jun;26(6):1283-1286

Yaws-like lesions are widely reported in wild African great apes, yet the causative agent has not been confirmed in affected animals. We describe yaws-like lesions in a wild chimpanzee in Guinea for which we demonstrate infection with Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue. Read More

New Microbes New Infect 2020 May 26;35:100670. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, MEФI, Marseille, France.

  infections have been primarily known as slightly contagious mucocutaneous infections called yaws (tropical Africa and America) and bejel (subtropical North Africa). emerged as a highly infectious venereal syphilis agent in South America, probably about 500 years ago, and because of its venereal transmission, it quickly caused a worldwide pandemic. The disease manifests as lesions, including a chancre; then antibodies become detectable when or slightly after the chancre appears, and before the development of a rash and other systemic manifestations. Read More

J Trop Pediatr 2020 May 3. Epub 2020 May 3.

Centre for International Child Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3052, Australia.

Introduction: Congenital syphilis remains a significant cause of newborn mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental problems in some low- and middle-income countries. This study was done in Honiara, Solomon Islands to determine the incidence of babies born to mothers with a positive venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) test and a positive Treponema pallidum haemagglutination assay (TPHA); to determine the VDRL status of newborns and features of congenital syphilis; and to estimate the proportion of stillbirths associated with syphilis.

Methodology: All neonates born to VDRL-positive mothers, including stillbirths were included between April and July 2019. Read More

Curr Biol 2020 Jun 30;30(11):2078-2091.e11. Epub 2020 Apr 30.

Department of Archaeogenetics (DAG), Max-Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Kahlaische Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany. Electronic address:

The forced relocation of several thousand Africans during Mexico's historic period has so far been documented mostly through archival sources, which provide only sparse detail on their origins and lived experience. Here, we employ a bioarchaeological approach to explore the life history of three 16 century Africans from a mass burial at the San José de los Naturales Royal Hospital in Mexico City. Our approach draws together ancient genomic data, osteological analysis, strontium isotope data from tooth enamel, δC and δN isotope data from dentine, and ethnohistorical information to reveal unprecedented detail on their origins and health. Read More

N Z Med J 2020 04 24;133(1513):53-60. Epub 2020 Apr 24.

Department of Ophthalmology, Auckland District Health Board, Auckland; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Auckland, Auckland.

Aims: To determine the demographic and clinical features of patients with ocular disease consistent with syphilis and positive treponemal serology in Auckland, and to compare patients who lived in a Pacific nation before 1960 with all other patients with regard to these features, considering a possible history of yaws infection.

Methods: Retrospective review of subjects seen in uveitis and neuroophthalmology clinics at Auckland District Health Board between January 2006 and June 2019.

Results: Two thousand four hundred and ninety-three subjects were reviewed in uveitis clinics during the timeframe, of whom 45 were diagnosed with syphilitic uveitis (1. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2020 Apr 20. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

The eradication of yaws caused by subsp. is constrained by the lack of rapid, accurate diagnosis. We sought to develop a molecular point-of-care test for the diagnosis of yaws. Read More

BMC Public Health 2020 Apr 17;20(1):517. Epub 2020 Apr 17.

Programme National de Lutte contre l'Ulcère de Buruli, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

Background: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) comprise 20 communicable diseases that are prevalent in rural poor and remote communities with less access to the health system. For effective and efficient control, the WHO recommends that affected countries implement integrated control interventions that take into account the different co-endemic NTDs in the same community. However, implementing these integrated interventions involving several diseases with different etiologies, requiring different control approaches and driven by different vertical programs, remains a challenge. Read More

PLoS One 2020 1;15(4):e0230926. Epub 2020 Apr 1.

Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.

Treponema pallidum subsp. endemicum (TEN) is the causative agent of endemic syphilis (bejel). Until now, only a single TEN strain, Bosnia A, has been completely sequenced. Read More

Infect Dis Poverty 2020 Mar 12;9(1):26. Epub 2020 Mar 12.

Public Health Unit, Komfo-Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.

Background: Yaws is a chronic relapsing disease caused by Treponema pallidum subspecies pertunue, which can result in severe disability and deformities. Children below the age of 15 years in resource-poor communities are the most affected. Several non-specific factors facilitate the continuous transmission and resurgence of the disease. Read More

Infect Dis Poverty 2020 Jan 30;9(1). Epub 2020 Jan 30.

Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Background: Yaws is a chronic, highly contagious skin and bone infection affecting children living in impoverished, remote communities and caused by Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue. The Philippines was thought to be free of yaws following the 1950s eradication campaign but it has been reported in the Liguasan Marsh area, Central Mindanao. This is the first documentation of yaws cases in the Philippines since the 1970s. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2020 02;26(2):282-288

Yaws, a neglected tropical disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue, manifests as ulcerative skin lesions. Nucleic acid amplification tests, like loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), are versatile tools to distinguish yaws from infections that cause similar skin lesions, primarily Haemophilus ducreyi. We developed a novel molecular test to simultaneously detect T. Read More

Am J Phys Anthropol 2020 05 19;171 Suppl 70:5-41. Epub 2020 Jan 19.

School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.

Syphilis was perceived to be a new disease in Europe in the late 15th century, igniting a debate about its origin that continues today in anthropological, historical, and medical circles. We move beyond this age-old debate using an interdisciplinary approach that tackles broader questions to advance the understanding of treponemal infection (syphilis, yaws, bejel, and pinta). How did the causative organism(s) and humans co-evolve? How did the related diseases caused by Treponema pallidum emerge in different parts of the world and affect people across both time and space? How are T. Read More

Med Hist 2020 01;64(1):32-51

Stanford University, Department of Anthropology, 450 Serra Mall, Building 50, Stanford, CA 94305-2034, USA.

This paper addresses the relative scholarly oversight of the history of public health in Haiti through a close examination of the colonial public health system constructed and operated by the United States (US) during its occupation of Haiti from 1915 to 1934. More than simply documenting a neglected aspect of Caribbean history, the paper offers the US occupation of Haiti as a remarkably clear example of a failed attempt to use a free public health service to cultivate a health conscientiousness among the Haitian citizenry through the aggressive treatment of highly visible ailments such as cataracts and yaws. I argue that the US occupation viewed the success of the Haitian Public Health Service as critical to the generation of a taxable, compliant and trusting citizenry that the colonial state could enter into a contract with. Read More

BMC Genomics 2020 Jan 10;21(1):33. Epub 2020 Jan 10.

Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Natural Sciences, Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), Uberaba, MG, Brazil.

Background: Spirochetal organisms of the Treponema genus are responsible for causing Treponematoses. Pathogenic treponemes is a Gram-negative, motile, spirochete pathogen that causes syphilis in human. Treponema pallidum subsp. Read More

Gates Open Res 2019 16;3:1576. Epub 2019 Oct 16.

Clinical Research Department, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.

The World Health Organization is currently developing 2030 goals for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). In these, yaws has been targeted for eradication by 2030, with 50% of member states certified free of yaws transmission by 2023. Here we summarise the yaws modelling literature and discuss the proposed goal and strategy. Read More

R Soc Open Sci 2019 Nov 13;6(11):190728. Epub 2019 Nov 13.

Institute of Chemical Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, Sichuan 621900, People's Republic of China.

The solubility of dicarbohydrazide bis[3-(5-nitroimino-1,2,4-triazole)] (DCBNT) was first measured under the different pure solvents and binary solvents by the dynamic method over the temperature range of 290-360 K at atmospheric pressure. Results in all the solvents were positively correlated with temperature, namely increased with increasing temperature. The experiment data were correlated by the Apelblat equation, the Yaws equation and the polynomial equation. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2019 11;25(11):2147-2149

Human yaws has historically been endemic to Kenya, but current epidemiologic data are lacking. We report seroprevalence for Treponema pallidum antibodies in olive baboons (Papio anubis) and vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) in Laikipia County, Kenya. Our results suggest endemicity of the yaws bacterium in monkeys, posing a possible zoonotic threat to humans. Read More

Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets 2020 ;20(3):335-343

Department of Emergency/Urgent, National Poison Center, Riuniti University Hospital (OO.RR.) of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.

Background: There is not a time in the history when epidemics did not loom large: infectious diseases have always had civilisation and evolution-altering consequences. Throughout history, there have been a number of pandemics: cholera, bubonic plague, influenza, smallpox are some of the most brutal killers in human history. Historical accounts of pandemics clearly demonstrate that war, unhygienic conditions, social and health inequality create conditions for the transmission of infectious diseases, and existing health disparities can contribute to unequal morbidity and mortality. Read More

Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2019 12;113(12):776-780

Clinical Research Department, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, UK.

Background: Yaws is a neglected tropical disease and results in lesions of skin, soft tissues and bones. PCR plays an important part in surveillance.

Methods: Children suspected to have yaws were enrolled. Read More

Med Sante Trop 2019 Aug;29(3):327-332

Disease Prevention and Control (DPC), OMS Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso shares its borders with six countries that regularly report cases of Buruli ulcer, yaws, and leprosy (Hansen disease), three neglected tropical diseases with dermatological manifestations. Treatment of leprosy has shown excellent results, and it appears to be essentially eliminated. The same cannot be said for Buruli ulcer or yaws, the epidemiology of which remains poorly elucidated. Read More

Mol Ecol 2019 09 26;28(18):4135-4137. Epub 2019 Sep 26.

Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.

Flies-a small name for an enormous taxonomic group of over 110,000 described species that have unique ecological roles. Nonbiting flies ingest organic material in faecal matter or carrion, which is rich in microbes and nutrients that benefit both adults and their offspring (maggots). These are often referred to as "filth flies" because they are often pests in human settlements and responsible for the spread of enteric pathogens. Read More

Acta Trop 2020 Feb 21;202:105182. Epub 2019 Sep 21.

Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA; James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA; Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA. Electronic address:

While the East Asia Pacific (EAP) region has experienced tremendous economic growth and development, the resulting public health gains from reductions in its neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have been less than expected due to opposing forces of urbanization, political instability, food insecurity, and climate change, together with co-morbidities with non-communicable diseases, including diabetes and hypertension. To be sure there's been progress towards the elimination of lymphatic filariasis and trachoma through mass drug administration, and there are opportunities to extend MDA to yaws and scabies, but for most of the other NTDs we'll require new biotechnologies. So far, EAP's major technology hubs in China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan have mostly failed to shift their attention towards new innovations for the NTDs, including new drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines, and vector control. Read More

Med Sante Trop 2019 May;29(2):155-158

Fairmed, Unit programme, Berne, Suisse.

The incidence of neglected tropical diseases (NTD) can serve as an indicator for assessing the quality of healthcare systems because these diseases affect the poorest populations, living in areas where healthcare access is most difficult. The Central African Republic Ministry of Health, in collaboration with FAIRMED, decided to conduct the survey reported here in a village named/owned by the Central African Society of Agriculture and Wood Peeling (SCAD). The study took place from June 11-20, 2017. Read More

BMJ Paediatr Open 2019 30;3(1):e000462. Epub 2019 May 30.

Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

Introduction: Azithromycin has been given for tropical infectious diseases such as trachoma and yaws by mass drug administration (MDA). As well as controlling the infectious disease in question, MDA may have a beneficial effect in reducing mortality in young children. However, the dose, formulation, frequency and duration of azithromycin used in certain infectious diseases may vary in different studies, and these differences may have impacts on the effectiveness of azithromycin MDA. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 06 19;13(6):e0007463. Epub 2019 Jun 19.

Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.

Background: Pathogenic treponemes related to Treponema pallidum are both human (causing syphilis, yaws, bejel) and animal pathogens (infections of primates, venereal spirochetosis in rabbits). A set of 11 treponemal genome sequences including those of five Treponema pallidum ssp. pallidum (TPA) strains (Nichols, DAL-1, Mexico A, SS14, Chicago), four T. Read More

Lancet Glob Health 2019 07;7(7):e912-e922

Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.

Background: Buruli ulcer can cause disfigurement and long-term loss of function. It is underdiagnosed and under-reported, and its current distribution is unclear. We aimed to synthesise and evaluate data on Buruli ulcer prevalence and distribution. Read More

Mol Ecol 2019 09 18;28(18):4242-4258. Epub 2019 Jul 18.

Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.

Living in groups provides benefits but also incurs costs such as attracting disease vectors. For example, synanthropic flies associate with human settlements, and higher fly densities increase pathogen transmission. We investigated whether such associations also exist in highly mobile nonhuman primate (NHP) Groups. Read More

Clin Med (Lond) 2019 03;19(2):157-160

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.

The term neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) describes a disparate group of diseases which affect populations living in poverty and are important causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Global programmes for the control of NTDs benefit large-scale donations made by pharmaceutical companies. A number of NTDs have internationally agreed targets for their control, elimination and eradication. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 02 25;13(2):e0007125. Epub 2019 Feb 25.

Independent consultant, Madrid, Spain.

Background: Yaws is targeted for eradication by 2020 in the WHA66.12 resolution of the World Health Assembly. The objective of this study was to describe the occurrence of yaws in the Americas and to contribute to the compilation of evidence based on published data to undertake the certification of yaws eradication. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2019 04;100(4):940-942

Clinical Research Department, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

Yaws is a neglected tropical disease targeted for eradication by 2020. Kiribati, a Pacific Island nation, was previously endemic for yaws but lacks recent data from which its current endemicity status could be determined. This study tested antibody responses to to determine if transmission of yaws is taking place among children in Kiribati. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 01 2;13(1):e0007076. Epub 2019 Jan 2.

Innovation to End Neglected Diseases (IT-ENDs), East Palo Alto, CA, United States of America.

Background: Gallium is a semi-metallic element known since the 1930s to have antimicrobial activity. This activity stems primarily from gallium's ability to mimic trivalent iron and disrupt specific Fe(III)-dependent pathways, particularly DNA synthesis (due to inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase). Because of its novel mechanism of action, gallium is currently being investigated as a new antibacterial agent, particularly in light of the increasing resistance of many pathogenic bacteria to existing antibiotics. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 12 4;12(12):e0006953. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has targeted yaws for global eradication. Eradication requires certification that all countries are yaws-free. While only 14 Member States currently report cases to WHO, many more are known to have a history of yaws and some of them may have ongoing transmission. Read More

Trop Med Infect Dis 2018 Nov 14;3(4). Epub 2018 Nov 14.

School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 852-8102, Japan.

Integration of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) into the public health agenda has been a priority in global health for the last decade. Because a number of these diseases share not only the geographical distribution, but also a common feature which is skin involvement, bringing together a sub-group of 'skin NTDs' is one way forward to promote further integration among NTDs. With these diseases, which include leprosy, Buruli ulcer, yaws, mycetoma, lymphatic filariasis, and leishmaniasis, patients may be left with life-long deformities and disabilities when diagnosis and treatment are delayed. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2018 10;2018:8304129. Epub 2018 Oct 10.

Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos (LABTRIP), Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil, 4365 - Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21040-900, Brazil.

Despite interest in the origins of syphilis, paleopathological analysis has not provided answers, and paleogenetic diagnosis remains a challenge. Even venereal syphilis has low infectivity which means there are few circulating bacteria for most of the individual's life. Human remains recovered from the Nossa Senhora do Carmo Church (17th to 19th centuries) and the Praça XV Cemetery (18th to 19th centuries), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were subjected to paleogenetic analysis. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 10 29;12(10):e0006840. Epub 2018 Oct 29.

Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.

Background: In the global program for the eradication of yaws, assessments of the prevalence of the disease are used to decide where to initiate mass treatment. However, the smallest administrative unit that should be used as the basis for making decisions is not clear. We investigated spatial and temporal clustering of yaws to help inform the choice of implementation unit. Read More

Trop Doct 2019 Jan 15;49(1):44-45. Epub 2018 Oct 15.

2 Paediatric Officer (Honorary), Vila Central Hospital, Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Chronic leg ulcers in children in tropical developing countries are common. They are difficult to diagnose clinically and to manage. Our case illustrates that even in areas where yaws is endemic and point of care testing is available, the diagnosis remains difficult. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 10 10;12(10):e0006867. Epub 2018 Oct 10.

Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.

Background: Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue (TPE) is the causative agent of yaws, a multistage disease endemic in tropical regions in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and South America. To date, seven TPE strains have been completely sequenced and analyzed including five TPE strains of human origin (CDC-2, CDC 2575, Gauthier, Ghana-051, and Samoa D) and two TPE strains isolated from the baboons (Fribourg-Blanc and LMNP-1). Read More

Trop Med Infect Dis 2018 Aug 29;3(3). Epub 2018 Aug 29.

Clinical Research Department, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK.

Yaws is one of the three endemic treponematoses and is recognised by the World Health Organization as a neglected tropical disease. Yaws is currently reported in 15 countries in the Pacific, South-East Asia, West and Central Africa, predominantly affects children, and results in destructive lesions of the skin and soft tissues. For most of the twentieth century penicillin-based treatment was the standard of care and resistance to penicillin has still not been described. Read More

Emerg Microbes Infect 2018 09 19;7(1):157. Epub 2018 Sep 19.

Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Seestraße 10, 13353, Berlin, Germany.

PLoS One 2018 12;13(9):e0203632. Epub 2018 Sep 12.

Laboratory Reference and Research Branch, Division of STD Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.

Yaws is a neglected tropical disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue. The disease primarily affects children under 15 years of age living in low socioeconomic conditions in tropical areas. As a result of a renewed focus on the disease owing to a recent eradication effort initiated by the World Health Organization, we have evaluated a typing method, adapted from and based on the enhanced Centers for Disease Control and Prevention typing method for T. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2018 Sep 6;11(1):501. Epub 2018 Sep 6.

Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.

Background: Biting aquatic insects belonging to the order Hemiptera have been suggested as potential vectors of Mycobacterium ulcerans in endemic areas for Buruli ulcer (BU). If this is the case, these insects would be expected to co-exist with M. ulcerans in the same geographical areas. Read More

Science 2018 Jul;361(6399):216-221

Lihir Island in Papua New Guinea.

BMC Infect Dis 2018 07 11;18(1):324. Epub 2018 Jul 11.

Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, P.O.Box 2040, 3000, CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Background: Indonesia ranking third in the world, regarding leprosy burden. Chemoprophylaxis is effective in reducing risk of developing leprosy among contacts. 'Blanket approach' is an operational strategy for leprosy post-exposure prophylaxis in which all members of an isolated community, high endemic for leprosy are screened and given a single dose of rifampicin (SDR) in the absence of signs and symptoms of leprosy. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 06 25;12(6):e0006584. Epub 2018 Jun 25.

Department of Neglected Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.

Background: Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are a group of several communicable diseases prevalent in the tropical and subtropical areas. The co-endemicity of these diseases, the similarity of the clinical signs, and need to maximize limited financial and human resources have necessitated implementation of integrated approach. Our study aims to share the lessons of this integrated approach in the fight against Buruli ulcer (BU), leprosy and yaws in a rural district in Benin. Read More