Nagim Mohammed, narrates the story of his brother Neg Eldin El Albagir. Albagir is a 35-year-old man from El Rawashad village in El Gaziera State, Sudan. The village has reported many cases of mycetoma. He developed mycetoma on his left foot 20 years ago and 5 years later he developed mycetoma on his right foot. He has a disability and cannot express his feelings. Mycetoma exacerbates his condition. He underwent below-knee amputation of the left foot and still has right foot mycetoma.

Mycetoma is a chronic slow-growing infection which comes in either bacterial (actinomycetoma) or fungal (eumycetoma) form. This highly neglected disease is not well understood or widely studied. Infection begins most often in the foot, probably after a cut allows the bacteria or fungus to enter from the soil or animal dung, and it can spread to other parts of the body.

There is no effective cure for the fungal mycetoma commonly found in Sudan. Amputations are frequently the only treatment when infection is severe or other treatments fail. But even so, there is a high chance of recurrence.

This video has been recorded to inform and educate various audiences and stakeholders such as policy-makers, doctors, health workers, patients, researchers, community members, and activists in the mycetoma patient community. We thank the Mycetoma Research Center Sudan for their support.

Find out more about mycetoma.