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Insidious symptoms and a long, painful course of treatment |
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«Buruli ulcer exacts a huge burden on the affected population because of the severe disability which occurs in untreated cases. Almost 25% of untreated cases result in loss of a limb. The resultant loss of function compromises the inability to work, to go to school or to care for children.»
Prof. Pamela Small, USA
Children make up an estimated 70-90% of Buruli ulcer cases. They find it particularly difficult to cope with the long hospital stays and painful treatment lasting an average 90 to 120 days, in some cases even exceeding a year.
Buruli ulcer is a slow and lingering disease, although it is generally not fatal. It is spread by a bacterium called mycobacterium ulcerans, which is related to those pathogens that cause leprosy and tuberculosis.
But exactly how the disease is transmitted is largely unknown, although it has been shown that infections are most widespread near running or slow-moving bodies of water. This has led to speculation that the disease enters the tissue through skin injuries in the presence of contaminated water or soil or plants hosting the bacterium.
Once infected, two symptoms may become evident: either a small painless nodule appears under the skin or large swellings form on it. What is so insidious about the disease is that it spreads without further complaints such as pain or fever, and, as a result, is frequently not identified and treated early on. Failing treatment, large ulcers appear in time on the arms and legs of victims. Frequently, the affected areas must be surgically removed even after lengthy treatment with antibiotics. In many cases, it becomes necessary to amputate whole limbs. Besides the mutilation it causes, the scarring can later lead to serious loss of mobility. After their hospital stay, many children face life permanently crippled.
An additional problem area is that many parents are scarcely able to support their children during a long stay in hospital since the entire family has to tend their fields or go fishing simply to survive. If the father or mother is absent from these activities for months on end, the economic consequences for the family are frequently dire.
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