The disease has been reported in 30 countries around the world, mostly in poor, rural, tropical communities that live near water. In West Africa, according to WHO 2006 statistics, Ivory Coast has reported 24,000 cases, Ghana reported 11,000, and Benin has 7,000 confirmed cases.
Despite a 10-year global WHO-backed Buruli ulcer research initiative, researchers still do not know how the disease is spread, and whether water-born insects are to blame, as suggested by early research.
Even though the same bacteria family causes both Buruli ulcers and tuberculosis, Buruli ulcer disease receives far less international attention and remains one of the world's most overlooked diseases, according to WHO.
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