Abstract
Buruli ulcer (BU) caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans (M. ulcerans) is one of the most neglected diseases occurring in Cameroon. BU usually manifests as a skin disease but may also affect the bone. It is prevalent in Cameroon and often found around water stretches, slow flowing rivers, swamps, marshes, lakes, etc. About 500 of the 96,000 people in Akonolinga and Ayos districts in the central province of Cameroon are infected with Buruli ulcer (BU). The infected are mostly children under 15 years of age. Patients with Buruli ulcer suffer from psychological and social hardships; stigma associated with the disease often causes them to be isolated from their families and communities. While the exact mode of transmission remains unknown, person to person transmission is unlikely. A few preventive and therapeutical interventions based on the close resembelance between M. ulcerans and M. tuberculosis are being used but with litte success.
