Mycetoma patient Erot Ikeny Korodi, 49, who suffers from an infected foot after stepping on an acacia thorn, holds a thorn similar to the one that caused his infection next to the hut where he lives in the village of Locher Aikeny on March 31, 2025. Mycetoma is a fungal or bacterial infection that enters the body through any open wound, often as tiny as a thorn prick, and initially manifests as barely-noticeable bumps under the skin before slowly eroding the tissue, muscles and bone.
The fungal variety is endemic across the so-called ‘mycetoma belt’, including Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and northern Kenya, with both funding and research desperately lacking. (Photo by Luis TATO / AFP)