Key facts Yaws is a chronic childhood infectious disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum pertenue . The disfiguring disease mainly targets the skin, bones, and joints Yaws is highly contagious through direct skin-to-skin contact. It can be effectively treated with a single dose of antibiotics. Overview Yaws is a neglected tropical disease that primarily occurs in poor, rural communities in warm, humid forest areas of West Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and parts of Latin America. It is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum pertenue , which is closely related to syphilis, although yaws is not sexually transmitted. If untreated, the disease can cause disfiguring and debilitating complications. Between 75 and 80 per cent of those infected are under 15 years of age. It is easily treated with a single dose of antibiotics and prevalence has fallen in recent years. It is endemic in 15 countries in Africa and Asia and there are about 80,000 cases a year.…