Yaws in Malaysia

In 1954, with the assistance of the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund, a campaign against yaws was initiated in Malaysia with the formation of a yaws elimination unit in the Ministry of Health. Between 1954 and 1975, the reported annual incidence of yaws fell from 140.85 to 1.25 per 100,000 population. When rates dropped to less than two per 100,000, the program was merged with the general health services. Currently when cases are reported, contacts are traced, school and village surveys are carried out, and appropriate treatment is given. The major problems facing the control program today are a loss of interest in control activities; a smaller number of health workers experienced in the diagnosis, management, and control of the disease; and a growing reluctance to treat asymptomatic contacts with penicillin for fear of anaphylactoid reactions. Despite these problems, it is not an unreasonable expectation that, with continued stimulation from the individuals responsible for infectious disease control, yaws will eventually be eliminated.