Yaws Overview
Learn About Yaws
Yaws is a long-term (chronic) bacterial infection that mainly affects the skin, bones, and joints.
Frambesia tropica
Yaws is an infection caused by a form of the Treponema pallidum bacteria. It is closely related to the bacterium that causes syphilis, but this form of the bacterium is not sexually transmitted. Yaws mainly affects children in rural, warm, tropical areas, such as, Africa, Western Pacific islands, and Southeast Asia.
Yaws is transmitted by direct contact with the skin sores of infected people.
About 2 to 4 weeks after infection, the person develops a sore called a "mother yaw" where bacteria enter the skin. The sore may be tan or reddish and looks like a raspberry. It is most often painless, but does cause itching.
The sores may last for months. More sores may appear shortly before or after the mother yaw heals. Scratching the sore can spread the bacteria from the mother yaw to uninfected skin. Eventually, the skin sores heal.
Other symptoms include:
- Bone pain
- Scarring of the skin
- Swelling of the bones and fingers
In the advanced stage, sores on the skin and bones can lead to severe disfigurement and disability. This occurs in up to 1 in 5 people who do not get antibiotic treatment.
Treatment involves a single dose of penicillin, or 3 weekly doses for later stage disease. It is rare for the disease to return.
People who live in the same house with someone who is infected should be examined for yaws and treated if they are infected.
Southern California Permanente Medical Group
Cheng Chen is a Cardiologist in Fontana, California. Dr. Chen and is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Yaws. His top areas of expertise are Yaws and Chancroid.
Southern California Permanente Medical Group
Devin Chopra is a Podiatric Medicine provider in La Palma, California. Dr. Chopra and is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Yaws. His top areas of expertise are Yaws, Fungal Nail Infection, Ingrown Toenail, and Corns and Calluses.
Kim Foot And Ankle Medical Centers Of Long Beach
Raymond Bautista is a Podiatric Medicine provider in Long Beach, California. Dr. Bautista and is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Yaws. His top areas of expertise are Yaws, Metatarsalgia, Tendinitis, and Gangrene.
If treated in its early stages, yaws can be cured. Skin lesions may take several months to heal.
By its late stage, yaws may have already caused damage to the skin and bones. It may not be fully reversible, even with treatment.
Yaws may damage the skin and bones. It can affect a person's appearance and ability to move. It can also cause deformities of the legs, nose, palate, and upper jaw.
Contact your health care provider if:
- You or your child has sores on the skin or bone that don't go away.
- You have stayed in tropical areas where yaws is known to occur.
Published Date: December 31, 2023
Published By: Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Dionne JA, Ghanem KG. Syphilis and nonsyphilitic treponematoses. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 295.
Obaro SK, Davies HD. Nonvenereal treponemal infections. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 265.