Yaws in Oceania: New Tools for the Global Eradication Campaign

Abstract

Yaws is a chronic infectious disease caused by Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue, which causes disease of the skin, bones, and joints. Most cases are seen in young children living in remote communities in warm humid environments. The Pacific is a major focus of yaws with Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu all classified as endemic. Azithromycin is now the first-line treatment for yaws, and community mass treatment with azithromycin is the central component of the new WHO yaws eradication strategy.