As illnesses go, Buruli ulcer does not receive the attention given to conditions such as AIDS or bird flu: the World Health Organisation (WHO) has even termed it a "neglected tropical disease". In the conflict-torn nation of Ivory Coast, however, matters are somewhat different. A survey issued by the National Programme for the Fight against Mycobacterial Ulcers (Programme national de lutte contre les ulcères à mycobactéries, PNUM) has shown that there were 22,000 cases of the disease in the country last year -- a marked increase against the number recorded in 1997.