By Dr Borna Nyaoke-AnokeHead of Mycetoma Disease, DNDi
When I met Tesfaye at Boru Meda General Hospital, he vaguely remembered the thorn. He was 15 when it pricked his foot, out in the fields somewhere in Mekdela, in north-central Ethiopia. He had noticed it in passing, then forgot about it.
Seventeen years later, that prick had severely damaged his foot, destroying its bones.
The thorn infected him with mycetoma, a neglected disease that enters the body through even the smallest opening in the skin and slowly eats away surrounding tissue and bone. Caused by fungi or bacteria, it often leads to disability, amputation, and severe social stigma. If left untreated, it can cause death. Though it’s been reported in more than 100 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the debilitating, stigmatizing, and deadly disease is still largely ignored.
