35 positive with yaws

35 people were tested positive with yaws in Upati Village, Middle Fly District of Western Province.

These figures indicate that the highly contagious and infectious skin disease is present in other villages in the area, therefore requiring urgent attention before it spreads.

The remote Upati Village hardly ever has medical teams visit them let alone a trained doctor and laboratory scientist.

Villagers turned up in numbers as word spread quickly.

Mothers and their children, men and even the elderly braved the wet weather to get tested for yaws.

From the 117 blood tests conducted, 35 were found positive.

National Emergency Controller, Dr Bill Hamblin, was with the team on ground and told this newsroom that while the primary aim is to test and treat the positive cases, it was also highly important to track down where it's coming from and stop the potential outbreak.

The province is known to be a hotspot for TB and yaws further compounds the already low health indicators in Western Province, especially the Middle Fly District.

A second phase is set to be rolled out in 2 weeks’ time, targeting 8 villages in the Lower Bamu area.

The first phase of the outreach program was rolled out at a cost of K120,000.

The program was initiated by the Office of the Emergency Controller and implemented by Ela Medical Centre.

Author: 
Carolyn Ure