In 2012 WHO declared a target to eradicate yaws by 2020. The cornerstone of this strategy is community mass treatment with azithromycin. Initial studies suggest this is a very effective tool that may be capable of interrupting transmission. Alongside this there has been progress in the development and validation of diagnostic tests for yaws. Several new challenges have also emerged, in particular, evidence that Haemophilus ducreyi can cause phenotypically similar ulcers in yaws endemic communities, and evidence for a possible non-human primate reservoir. The 2020 eradication target remains ambitious and more challenges should be expected on the journey.
Keywords: Azithromycin; Eradication; Neglected Tropical Diseases; Treponema pallidum; World Health Organization; Yaws.
© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.