Yaws (also known as framboesia or pian) is a chronic disease of childhood caused by spiral bacteria Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue and part of the larger group of endemic treponematoses. The disease affects the skin, bones and cartilage and causes disfigurement and debilitation. Human transmission occurs by skin-to-skin contact through scrapes or cuts, mainly in poor communities in warm, humid tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific.

Yaws was one of the first diseases targeted for eradication in the 1950s; renewed eradication efforts started in 2012. However, so far, only India has been certified as free of yaws transmission, in 2016.

In 2024, 16 countries are considered as currently endemic for yaws, while 82 countries, areas and territories are considered previously endemic, with current status unknown. In 2024, 152 164 suspected yaws cases were reported to WHO from 10 countries, but only 996 cases were confirmed in 7 countries, because laboratory tests are not yet routinely performed to confirm cases. Three countries which reported cases in 2023 have not submitted their 2024 reports yet – Central African Republic, Indonesia and Malaysia. Updates will be published here when data become available.