Yaws and its eradication in India--a brief review.

Until 1996-97, when Yaws Eradication Programme (YEP) in India was launched, there were three initiatives to assess/control the yaws disease in the country. YEP was initially started as pilot study in Koraput district, Orissa and later on extended to ten states covering 49 districts. The first goal has been to get the disease eliminated from the country with ultimate goal being its eradication. Strategies for YEP are active case detection and treatment including contacts and targeted IEC. The number of reported cases reduced from 735 in 1997 to "Zero Case" in 2004 from entire country. The recent Third Independent Appraisal of YEP could not confirm any new yaws case. However, before declaring the elimination (meaning no new early infectious case), there is need to make a thorough search in the affected areas. Future activities under the programme includes sero- surveillance among under-five children to demonstrate cessation of yaws transmission.