Resurgence of yaws in Benin: Four confirmed cases in the district of Z, Southern Benin

Abstract

Yaws is an infectious neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by the Treponema pallidum pertenue which is highly contagious and transmitted through direct contact with an infected person. It mainly affects skin, bone and cartilage and predominantly in children under 15 years of age. The last cases in Benin were documented in 1982 in the districts of Adjohoun, Bonou and Dangbo in Southern Benin. In line with the global strategy of yaws eradication, yaws surveillance had been reactivated in Benin in 2012 through the National Control Programme of Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer (PNLLUB). Following two yaws prevalence surveys among schoolchildren in 2012 and 2013 in Southern Benin, that failed to detect yaws case, the PNLLUB adopted in 2016 field mass medical consultation campaign as an integrated screen and case management strategy for skin NTDs. During the field mass medical consultation organized in five districts in Southern Benin within October – December 2018, four yaws cases had been confirmed in two villages in the district of Ze. These are the first yaws cases confirmed in Benin since 1982 and thus confirm the re-emergence of yaws in Benin. Key words: Yaws, reemerging infectious diseases, Benin.