Pian (Yaws)

A tropical infectious disease caused by the spirochaete Treponema pertenue in the skin and its underlying tissues.

•  Yaws occurs chiefly in conditions of poor hygiene.
• It is transmitted by direct contact with infected persons and their clothing and possibly also by flies of the genus Hippelates.
• The spirochaetes enter through abrasions on the skin. Initial symptoms include fever, pains, and itching, followed by the appearance of small tumours, each covered by a yellow crest of dried serum, on the hands, face, legs, and feet. These tumours may deteriorate into deep ulcers.
• The final stage of yaws, which may appear after an interval of several years, involves destructive and deforming lesions of the skin, bones, and periosteum.
• Yaws, which commonly affects children is prevalent in hot humid lowlands of equatorial Africa, tropical America, the Far East, and the West Indies.
•  It responds well to treatment with Antibiotics