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Community participation eliminates yaws in Ecuador
Author(s) -
Anselmi Mariella,
Moreira JuanMartín,
Caicedo Cinthia,
Guderian Ronald,
Togi Gianni
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
tropical medicine and international health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1365-3156
pISSN - 1360-2276
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3156.2003.01073.x
Subject(s) - serology , medicine , treponematosis , syphilis , intervention (counseling) , environmental health , family medicine , immunology , sexually transmitted disease , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , antibody , psychiatry
Summary Yaws is no longer a national and international health priority for intervention, but there is still a negative perception of the disease in the few affected communities. A survey in 1988 in the northern region of Ecuador documented a prevalence of 16.5% of clinical cases and 96.3% of serological cases. A continuous, long‐term community‐based surveillance programme was therefore put in place focusing on yaws as one of the sentinel diseases. The results of this intervention are reported here. In 1993, a second survey showed a reduction in the prevalence of clinical cases to 1.4% and of serological cases to 4.7%. Between 1993 and 1998, no other clinical cases were detected and the serological prevalence in 1998 was 3.5%, corresponding with clinical cases of primary or congenital syphilis, latent yaws under follow‐up, and individuals with low serological titres indicating a ‘serological scar’. These data indicate that yaws has been eliminated. Another important outcome of the intervention is the increased self‐confidence in the communities that health problems can be tackled.