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Posting #1
Topic: Health
Title of Article: Yaws: New Treatment Found for Tropical Disease That Was Once Countered Penicillin
Author: Donald G. McNeil Jr.
Date: 2/13/2012
Length: 258 words
Main Idea:
Yaws is a disease that is closely related to Syphilis. This disease is passed through skin contact, it leaves behind a painless skin sore on the spot that made contact with the disease. The sore on people's body is said to look like raspberries, hens comes the nickname "Framboise" which translate to raspberry in French. Most common way that people contract this disease is by sharing a bed, but it is not a STD. It is mostly found in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. If it is left untreated it can spread to the bones causing discomfort and ache. The number one way they use to treat this diseases was with a shot of Penicillin, just like the way they treat Syphilis. But now instead of taking a shot, you can have a pill of Azithromycin and it will work just as well. The only worry that Doctors have is that Yaws will develop a resistance to the Azithromycin just as some strains of Syphilis has.
Conclusion:
The message in this article is to keep inventing more and new ways to create medicine. By having this pill it will one be cheaper to make a shipment of pills, rather then shipping liquid Penicillin. Secondly it will be easier for people to take a pill then going into a doctors office to have a shot.
It is good that Azithromycin can be used to treat Yaws, but I agree that scientists should try to invent new drugs to treat infections such as Yaws. Azithromycin is one of the few antibiotics that people who are allergic to penicillin can use, and if a lot of infections develop a resistance to Azithromycin, people who are allergic to penicillin will not be able to receive treatment without risking a severe allergic reaction. Even though shipping Azithromycin pills may be cheaper then shipping liquid penicillin around the world, I think doctors should continue using penicillin whenever possible in order to prevent Yaws from developing a resistance to Azithromycin too quickly.
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