A FLESH-EATING disease that could be prevented by washing with soap is having a devastating effect on the “forgotten” pygmies of the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), aid workers are warning. The Pygmies are already in a dire plight because of war, deforestation and slavery.
“The situation is very, very serious,” says Liliane Tumba of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), who led a preliminary mission to the remote Likouala region in March to treat Pygmies with the disease, called bush yaws or pian. As many as half of the 6000 Pygmies there, known as the Babenga, are thought to be affected by the disease. A single shot of penicillin is all it takes…
