Cameroon’s “Cursed” Children

Dr. Sanjay Gupta - CNN Chief Medical Correspondent (Originally posted on AC360°)

In a small town called Akonolinga, which is approximately an hour outside Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, there is a strange disease going around that primarily affects children. It starts as an ulcer on the skin that quickly spreads.

Untreated, it can start to affect the bones and eventually even get into the bloodstream. If it gets to that point, there is little that can be done, and the child will often succumb to the disease. They try everything in this small village town to not let it get to that bad. They scrape away the skin, cutting out the diseased areas.

They give injections of various medicines, and they keep people in hospitals for months. I met a young boy named Naturale, who had to have his left arm amputated at the shoulder. I almost cried when I met him. By the time he came into see a doctor, the disease was too far gone, his bones literally crumbling apart. As I visited the clinic, I learned they had given this disease a name: Buruli. I also learned something that stunned me — what many in this town believe is the origin of Buruli. Witchcraft.

It goes like this — as a punishment for taking something or some other trivial thing, these children had been cursed by witches and sorcerers living in the nearby areas. Take someone else’s mango for example, and soon after the child will get an ulcer. In Naturale’s case, he was born out of wedlock, and the witches in the area thought it would be better if he were dead. I was told they cursed him with a particularly severe infection, and he barely survived. Now he stays at the hospital trying to shield himself from the wickedness that put him there in the first place.

Now, if you think what you are reading is too far fetched, you may be interested to know I sat down with an educated medical anthropologist with her PHD, named Karen Saylors, who explained all of this to me. Along with researchers associated with Johns Hopkins, they are studying the origins of Buruli. Karen introduced me to traditional healers, who knew all about placing a hex on someone and even how to cure the disease with some herbs and a piece of bark.

While Karen and her colleagues don’t really buy into the idea of witchcraft, they also recognize what a widespread belief it really is here. Instead, Karen has busied herself studying the possibility that Buruli may in fact be a microbacteria that is zoonotic, spread from animal to human. As it has many similarities to a staph infection, which can cause flesh to be ulcerated and “eaten” appearing, the doctors have started using powerful antibiotics with good success. Karen has even studied the particular traditional medicine herbs, which are often effective. What she found was that particular plant had some of the same ingredients found in streptomycin, an antibiotic.

As a doctor, it was amazing to see this previously unrecorded disease slowly become deciphered. It was also a fascinating glimpse into the very real connection between animals, plants and humans. Not only is the Buruli causing pathogen likely from an animal, but the medication used to treat it is from a local plant. And, if we look deep enough, we find this is in fact the case with many diseases.

Today, I will be in the wilderness of DRC, specifically a village called Lodja. We will be visiting a monkeypox surveillance clinic. I promise to report back on how the locals here are working to contain the virus so it doesn’t spread around the world. I can’t help be struck by the fact that we are in the middle of a very strong interface between man and animal. It has been here for millions of years, but it is only now that we are starting to understand its awesome culture, power and possible danger.

Comments

[Emil I Mondoa, MD]

CNN needs to retract its inaccurate Buruli ulcer story. This is a condition that was well described, in numerous scientific papers at Ibadan and other universities. It is to be found in textbooks of tropical medicine and the name "Buruli" is from a district in Uganda. I knew about Buruli ulcer 30 years ago, as a medical student. Now CNN has "discovered" it.

This is sloppy journalism indeed.

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

sloppy journalism indeed

I still can't get over that caption, Cameroon's "cursed" Children. I mean, couldn't they find a better title? Don't even get me started on all the inaccuracies in that article.

[Neba-Fuh]

When white bitches sleep with wild animals, no disease transmission takes place,right? It takes a colored armchair surgeon to visit Africa and draw conclusions that Africans are agents of transmission of many diseases from animal to man. California has just legalized gay marriages.Octogenarians queued up to tie the knot! Tomorrow, they will legalize marriage between humans and animals and still claim that many diseases pass through Africans!

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

hahahahahhahaah Neba-Fuh, that was too funny. My stomach is aching from pain.

"colored armchair surgeon"

hahahahahahahahhahahaha. You have just made my day.

[Ndeh Josh]

Whatever we might think of Dr.Gupta, at least he had the courage to edit his article after the wave of criticim.

In his original article he wrote:

"As a doctor, it was amazing to see this previously unrecorded disease slowly become deciphered."

However, in the updated version, he states that:
"Buruli ulcers have been reported in more than 30 countries, according to the World Health Organization. With the increasing geographical spread since 1980, WHO is working to improve surveillance and develop better tools to control the disease. Karen introduced me to traditional healers who knew all about placing a hex on someone and even how to cure the disease with herbs and a piece of bark."

Hopefully, the ability to accept one's errors and take appropriate corrective measures should be another lesson (particularly for us Africans) from this whole incident.

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/06/16/cameroons-cursed-children/

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

I'm happy that "Dr." Gupta partially edited that sloppy article. However, it doesn't redeem him in my eyes. They went to Cameroon with one aim and one aim only: to exploit powerless Africans in order to gain appraisals and awards from the media world.

I am still waiting for Anderson Cooper to provide the evidence to his assertion that AIDS started in the "jungles" of Africa.

[Ndingwan]

This idiot called UnitedstatesofAfrica,who are u to say u're waiting 4 Anderson Cooper to provide any evidence on anything.A big time illiterate like u,when doctors are talking,a failed assylum seeker sits in his air tight room to make useless comments.SHUT UP!!!

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

Ndingwan,

ha! ma man, why are you so bitter? all that cosh for one man? you sleep dream about me? hahahhahaa. You seem to know a lot about asylum seekers in air tight rooms. From these specific details, one might think you are one of them!!!!!
suspect!

[Achiri]

Ndingaman or Ndingwhatever you should be the one to shut up!!!I'm glad Sanjay realized his mistakes and made a few corrections.
The main aim of such reports is crystal clear:All "strange" diseases originate from the African jungle.
Such reports just go a long way to prove their ignorance about other peoples and cultures.The average American thinks Africa is a country and most don't even know much about what goes on outside the state they were born.
'As long as "the other" is demonized as the perpetrator of all things evil then we are ok' is the typical American mentality.

[Speakout]

CNN I believe you people have morethan enough Cursed News to dish out from the western world.
Cameroon children are not Cursed in anywhere.If you don't have News to document on,then talk more about drug abuses in USA,gay marriages,whites sleeping with animals,gang killings and they are worst areas in your cities that can sum up a good documentary,which the entire world to can see.
Cursed CNN