The Bangladeshi “Tree Man” Abul Bajandar yesterday underwent a successful surgery at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s burn unit.
A nine-member medical board which was assigned for his treatment began the operation around 11am Saturday and it continued till 1pm.
Abul’s mother Amena Begum said her son is now better.
After the surgery, Burn Institute Coordinator Dr Samanta Lal Sen said: “The first surgery of Abul was successful. He will undergo the second operation after three weeks.”
Md Abul Kalam, professor and head of the Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery and Project, is leading the board.
Dr Samanta Lal Sen, earlier said: “First we will operate on his thumb and index fingers and if the surgery is successful, we will try again.”
Earlier, Health Minister Mohammed Nasim said that the government would bear all costs of Abul Bajandar’s treatment until he returns to a healthy and normal life.
Abul, 26, who was admitted to DMCH on January 30, has been suffering from an extremely rare genetic skin disease epidermodysplasia verruciformis, also known as “Tree Man Disease.”
The disease is caused by a defect in the immune system.
It causes abnormal susceptibility to human papilloma viruses (HPVs), which eventually leads to the overgrowth of scaly macules and papules, especially on the feet and hands.
Abul is the fifth person in the world reported to be suffering from the disease.
The others are Ion Toader, Dede Kosawa, Zainal and Ivan. Dede and Zainal hail from the same area in Indonesia. Ivan is from Netherlands but his father grew up in Indonesia while Toader is a Romanian.
Except Toader, the other three have genetic roots in West Java.
The problem with “Tree Man Disease” is that there is still no cure.
The warts can be surgically removed but they will grow back, sometimes faster, as in the case of Dede Kosawa, who appeared in a Discovery channel documentary “Treeman: Search for the Cure.”
