State is free from Yaws disease

Bhopal, Sep 19: After regaining the status of Naru-free state recently, Madhya Pradesh has declared itself free from Yaws -- a skin disease later affecting bones and other parts.

''No fresh patient affected by the disease has been found in past five years,'' Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Ajay Vishnoi said, as per an official release here yesterday.

After Madhya Pradesh's bifurcation in 2000, four districts -- Rewa, Shahdol, Sidhi and Umaria -- were affected from the disease.

Earlier, the state had 423 'Yaws' patients in 1988. Although the number of patients reduced to seven in 1994, it again climbed to 170 in 1998. The state had 29 'Yaws' patients in 2000.

In undivided Madhya Pradesh, 17 districts -- Bastar, Kanker, Dantewara, Rajpur, Dhamtari, Bilaspur, Champa, Korba, Sarguja, Koria, Mahasamund, Raigarh, Jashpur, Sidhi, Rewa, Shahdol and Umaria -- were affected by the disease.

The Institute of Communicable Diseases had been providing funds to the state under the National Yaws Eradication Programme (NYEP) for eradicating the disease.

The NYEP was launched in the state in 1997-98.

Treponema pertenue is the causative agent of the disease in which pimples erupt on the open portions of the body of the patient and even erodes affected parts and bones of the patient.

UNI