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Yaws

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Frambesia tropica

Treatment:

The mainstay of treatment is a single dose of penicillin G. Relapse is rare.

Expectations (prognosis):

If appropriately treated in its early stages, yaws is highly curable. Skin lesions may take several months to heal. If treated in its late stage, significant disfigurement may already be present and may not be fully reversible.

Complications:

Yaws can be disfiguring and disabling because it may cause gross destruction of the skin and bones. It can also cause deformities of the legs, nose, palate, and upper jaw.

Calling your health care provider:

Contact your medical provider if you or your child have a chronic skin or bone lesion and have resided in tropical areas where yaws is known to occur.

• Review Date: 11/27/2006
• Reviewed By: D. Scott Smith, M.D., MSc, DTM&H, Chief of Infectious Disease & Geographic Medicine, Kaiser Redwood City, CA & Adjunct Assistant Professor, Stanford University. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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