Cauliflower-like blisters may point to warts

By Moses Nampala

You may be filled with fear as soon as you see his face. Thirty-year-old Richard Walumeze of Bumboi village in Mbale district avoids crowded places because he is conscious of his appearance.

“I keep away from crowds because I have been told that my face evokes horror,” explains the boda-boda cyclist, who only operates in the sparsely populated areas of Mbale town.

Multiple swellings have gnawed his face and fresh ones are emerging. “The swellings started developing when I was aged 15,” he explains.

The Elgon Regional Police Surgeon, Dr. Barnabas Rubanza, diagnosed Walumeze with intensive warts.

What are warts?

Rubanza defines warts as small growths or solid blisters that can develop anywhere on the skin. Tiny blood vessels grow into the core of the wart to supply it with blood and the blood vessels may look like dark dots in the centre of the warts, depending on the type of warts.

There are various types, which look different.

“Warts are caused by viruses, the most common being the human papilloma virus (HPV), which also causes cervical cancer,” Rubanza explains.

The virus infects kerarin, a hard tissue on the top layer of the skin, which is rich in protein, causing it to grow very fast, thus forming a wart. The virus usually enters the body in an area of the broken skin.

Dr. Esther Nantubwe, a urologist at Mulago Hospital, says warts can also be genetic, meaning that they run in certain families.

Experts say most warts go away on their own within months or years.

Transmission

Nantubwe says the ailment is contagious and can spread in various ways. “It could be contracted as a result of skin-to-skin contact such as a handshake.”

Nantumbwe says one can infect himself again by touching the wart and then another body part. One can also infect another person by sharing personal belongings such as razors, towels and clothes. People who have a weakened immune system are more prone to warts.

According to online sources, it can take many months of slow growth beneath the skin before one notices a wart and it is unlikely that one will get a wart every time one comes in contact with HPV.

Some people are more likely to get warts than others.

“Desist from finger-licking because you may transmit the warts to the lips, subsequently spreading to the face,” she warns. Warts can also be contracted through sexual intercourse.

Symptoms

According to Rubanza, you need to see a physician for a physical examination.

The swelling may also be scrutinised under a microscope or a skin biopsy done (examination of tissues or liquids to determine the existence or cause).

Warts form in various shapes; bumps, round, flat and smooth.

Treatment

Treatment may not be necessary, but if the warts are painful, ugly, or spreading, a doctor can prescribe medication such as caustic pencil, which contains silver nitrate. When applied on the warts, the swellings gradually wither, Rubanza says. One can also use salicylic acid to destroy the warts, Nantumbwe adds.

Other interventions include cryotherapy, where a cold nitrogen solution is applied on the warts, in the process freezing and destroying the cells.

In severe cases like Walumeze’s, it may require surgery, where the warts are scraped off.

Prevention

“The sure way to prevent infection is by vaccinating against the human papilloma-virus,” Rubanza explains.

Last year, the Government announced the launch of a pilot programme to vaccinate girls against HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer.