 |
|
|
|
|
June 16th, 2008
03:31 PM ET
Cameroon's diseased children
In a small town called Akonolinga, about an hour outside Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, a strange disease is going around that primarily affects children. It starts as an ulcer on the skin that quickly spreads. Untreated, it can start to affect the bones and eventually even get into the bloodstream. If it gets to that point, there is little that can be done, and the child will often succumb to the disease. They try everything in this small village town to not let it get to that bad. They scrape away the skin, cutting out the diseased areas. They give injections of various medicines, and they keep people in hospitals for months. I met a young boy named Naturale, who had to have his left arm amputated at the shoulder. I almost cried when I met him. By the time he came into see a doctor, the disease was too far gone, his bones literally crumbling. As I visited the clinic, I learned the name of the disease: Buruli. I also learned something that stunned me — what many in this town believe is the origin of Buruli: Witchcraft. It goes like this — as a punishment for taking something or some other trivial thing, these children had been cursed by witches and sorcerers living in the nearby areas. Take someone else’s mango for example, and soon after the child will get an ulcer. In Naturale’s case, he was born out of wedlock, and the witches in the area thought it would be better if he were dead. I was told they cursed him with a particularly severe infection, and he barely survived. Now he stays at the hospital trying to shield himself. Now, if you think what you are reading is too far-fetched, you may be interested to know I sat down with Ph.D-level medical anthropologist, Karen Saylors, who explained all of this to me. Along with researchers associated with Johns Hopkins, she is studying Buruli. Buruli ulcers have been reported in more than 30 countries, according to the World Health Organization. With the increasing geographical spread since 1980, WHO is working to improve surveillance and develop better tools to control the disease. Karen introduced me to traditional healers who knew all about placing a hex on someone and even how to cure the disease with herbs and a piece of bark. While Karen and her colleagues don’t really buy into the idea of witchcraft, they also recognize what a widespread belief it really is here. Instead, Karen has busied herself studying the possibility that Buruli may be spread from animal to human. As it has many similarities to a staph infection, which can cause flesh to be ulcerated and seemlingly “eaten,”, the doctors are using powerful antibiotics with good success. Karen has even studied the particular traditional medicine herbs, which are often effective. What she found was that particular plant had some of the same ingredients found in streptomycin, an antibiotic. As a doctor, it was amazing to see how this disease has been deciphered. It was also a fascinating glimpse into the connection between animals, plants and humans. Not only is the Buruli-causing pathogen most likely from an animal, but the medication used to treat it is from a local plant. And, if we look deep enough, we find this is in fact the case with many diseases. Today, I will be in the wilderness of DRC, specifically a village called Lodja. We will be visiting a monkeypox surveillance clinic. I promise to report back on how the locals here are working to contain the virus so it doesn’t spread around the world. I can’t help be struck by the fact that we are in the middle of a very strong interface between man and animal. It has been here for millions of years, but it is only now that we are starting to understand its awesome culture, power and possible danger. revised 6/19/2008 Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation. soundoff (891 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Next »Leave a Reply to Fred Schnitz
Next entry »Which comes first? Depression or diabetes?
« Previous entrySurviving the bush in Cameroon
|
  About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
 |
|
|
|
By Dr. Sanjay Gupta
You're so cool! I don't suppose I've truly read through anything like this before. So good to find another person with some original thoughts on this issue. Really.. thank you for starting this up. This website is one thing that is needed on the web, someone with some originality!
http://www.asiawebdirect.com/customer/recommend/?url=http://www.ocrvcenter.com/trailer-repair-near-me
http://arakhne.org/redirect.php?url=http://www.ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-costa-mesa-california/
Hello there! This blog post could not be written much better! Looking through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept talking about this. I'll send this information to him. Pretty sure he will have a very good read. I appreciate you for sharing!
http://happylife.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.bestshopnearme.com/
https://www.domainsherpa.com/share.php?site=https://www.bestshopnearme.com/
http://www.eagleforce.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=nearmyspot.com
Hi there! This post could not be written any better! Reading through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept talking about this. I am going to forward this information to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing!
http://www.dwm.ks.edu.tw/school/netlink/hits.php?id=21&url=http://bulknearme.com
http://siamcafe.net/board/go/go.php?http://nearmyspot.com/
http://darewrightfilm.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.masternearme.com/
Spot on with this write-up, I truly believe this web site needs a great deal more attention. Iíll probably be returning to see more, thanks for the info!
https://www.ibar.cc/link.php?url=https://www.reviewnearme.com
An interesting discussion is definitely worth comment. I believe that you need to publish more about this topic, it might not be a taboo matter but usually people don't speak about these issues. To the next! All the best!!
http://www.qqfuzhi.com/portal/play.php?url=https://bulknearme.com
http://triathlon.org/?URL=http://www.ocrv.xyz/rv-repair-near-me
Excellent site you have here.. Itís difficult to find high-quality writing like yours nowadays. I truly appreciate people like you! Take care!!
https://edwinj18b7.blogars.com/4657010/examine-this-report-on-generator-repair
http://ww17.yourname.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=http://www.ocrv.pro/foremost-rv-collision-repair-paint-shop-near-me-orange-county
Right here is the perfect web site for anyone who hopes to understand this topic. You realize so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I really would want toÖHaHa). You certainly put a brand new spin on a subject which has been discussed for many years. Great stuff, just great!
https://www.bad.org.uk/for-the-public/patient-information-leaflets/androgenetic-alopecia/?showmore=1&returnlink=http://www.ocrv.club/rv-repair-near-me
http://citidex.sfgov.org/cgi-bin/sunindex/getData.cgi?docColor=deptsonly&dispRec=yes&contact=TedYamasaki&phone=(415)557-4815&url=http://ocrvcenter.com/motorhome-ac-repair-near-me/
https://response-o-matic.com/thank_you.php?u=http://www.ocrvart.com/rv-repair-shop-van-nuys-california/
You need to take part in a contest for one of the best sites on the web. I'm going to recommend this web site!
http://help.dedecms.com/plus/player/index.php?url=http://ocrvcenter.biz/rv-repair-shop-santa-ana-california/
http://www.reservations-page.com/linktracking/linktracking.ashx?trackingid=TRACKING_ID&mcid=&url=https://bulknearme.com
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon every day. It will always be exciting to read content from other writers and practice a little something from their web sites.
http://www.community.nxp.com/t5/custom/page/page-id/ExternalRedirect?url=www.ocrvcenter.com/conventional-trailer-collision-repair-shop-near-me/
http://www.lipperhey.com/en/http://www.ocrvcenter.com/boom-truck-repair-near-me/
You need to be a part of a contest for one of the highest quality websites on the internet. I'm going to recommend this web site!
http://www.prmac.com/external_link.php?release=34382&l=1&url=http://www.quotenearme.com/
Wonderful article! We will be linking to this great content on our website. Keep up the great writing.
http://connectathon-results.ihe.net/open_is_url.php?url=https://ocrvcenter.com/esurance-rv-collision-repair-shop-near-me/
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this website. I'm hoping to view the same high-grade blog posts from you later on as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own, personal site now 😉
https://www.treasury.gov/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi/?ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-bell-canyon-california
You need to take part in a contest for one of the finest sites on the net. I am going to highly recommend this site!
http://www.etis.ford.com/externalURL.do?url=https://linkrex.net/r0KmF
http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php?URL=https://ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-sierra-madre-california
http://web28.werkbank.bayern-online.de/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?url=https://ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-pico-rivera-california
https://www.es.paltalk.com/client/webapp/client/External.wmt?url=ocrv.today/rv-repair-shop-irvine-california
Hello there! I could have sworn Iíve visited this blog before but after going through some of the articles I realized itís new to me. Anyhow, Iím certainly happy I found it and Iíll be book-marking it and checking back often!
http://dartn.de/redirect/?url=www.ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-santa-clarita-california/
https://codyv63n2.ssnblog.com/4730151/everything-about-car-repair
This is the perfect web site for everyone who hopes to understand this topic. You know a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I personally will need toÖHaHa). You definitely put a fresh spin on a topic that's been discussed for decades. Great stuff, just excellent!
http://saco.se/EPiServerMail/Public/CheckLink.aspx?url=https://ocrvcenter.com/motorhome-technician-near-me/
This is the perfect site for everyone who wishes to find out about this topic. You realize so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I really would want toÖHaHa). You definitely put a fresh spin on a topic that's been discussed for a long time. Wonderful stuff, just great!
https://yellowpages.oakridger.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=https://ocrvcenter.com/motorhome-dent-repair-near-me
Good day! I simply want to give you a big thumbs up for your excellent information you have right here on this post. I will be coming back to your web site for more soon.
http://paltalk.com/client/webapp/client/External.wmt?url=ocrvcenter.org/stake-truck-collision-repair-paint-shop-near-me-orange-county
Pretty! This was an incredibly wonderful article. Thank you for supplying these details.
https://ww17.yourname.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=https://ocrvmotorcoaches.com/shuttle-truck-collision-repair-shop-near-me
Pretty! This was an extremely wonderful article. Thanks for supplying this information.
http://www.alcoholpolicysolutions.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.https://www.affordableranking.com/
http://www.mojorecords.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.affordableranking.com
https://71240140.imcbasket.com/Card/index.php?direct=1&checker=&Owerview=0&PID=71240140466&ref=http://affordableranking.com
https://response-o-matic.com/thank_you.php?u=http://affordableranking.com&t=call+today
http://webredirect.garenanow.com/?p=gp&lang=en&url=http://affordableranking.com
I absolutely love your website.. Pleasant colors & theme. Did you make this amazing site yourself? Please reply back as Iím looking to create my very own site and would like to know where you got this from or just what the theme is called. Cheers!
https://images.google.iq/url?q=https://holistichows.com
This is a really good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere. Short but very accurate infoÖ Thank you for sharing this one. A must read article!
http://bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&url=http://www.nearmyspot.com
https://local.google.bj/url?q=https://getmoneyonlyfans.com
How to transfer a Joomla website from one computer to another? from one host to another?
https://www.instagram.com/katekdesigns
You are so awesome! I don't suppose I've read something like this before. So great to find another person with a few unique thoughts on this issue. Seriously.. thanks for starting this up. This web site is something that is required on the web, someone with a bit of originality!
http://de.paltalk.com/client/webapp/client/External.wmt?url=www.whatisdisplayadvertising.com
Hello there! This blog post could not be written much better! Looking through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept talking about this. I'll forward this post to him. Pretty sure he will have a very good read. Thanks for sharing!
https://wapp.baidu.com/mo/q/checkurl?url=www.club-maserati.com&referer=wapp.baidu.com
http://brettterpstra.com/share/fymdproxy.php?url=http://www.ocrvmotorcoachsales.com
There is definately a great deal to know about this issue. I love all the points you've made.
https://www.fms.treas.gov/fmsweb/disclaimer.jsp?ciURL=http://kayayogaremedy.com/
Greetings! Very helpful advice within this article! It is the little changes that will make the largest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
http://watchtheeye.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvcenter.com
https://www.erotiikkalelut.com/url.php?link=https://ocrvcenter.com/
http://buyacademy.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvcenter.com
http://duchessofwestminster.info/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvcenter.com/