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We have all had boils before – those nasty, purulent, painful and uncompromising swellings with exudates like doubly thickened condensed milk.
For most people, it is not the boils which give them stress – it is where these boils tend to place themselves.
Boils often show up in the armpit, the buttocks, in the groin, around the breast or any other place that is embarrassing enough to show to anyone including doctors, pharmacists and nurses.
When boils occur in the buttocks, they turn simple situations into complex “standations” with people shifting and shuttling in tro-tros just to ensure that the ubiquitous Accra potholes do not complicate matters.
The pain and discomfort from boils leave patients no choice but to go to the hospital though they are often unable to say in plain language where the problem is occurring.
Sometimes all the patient says is: “I have a boil somewhere” or “I have two boils there” leaving the health worker with the simple task of deciphering where “somewhere” or “there” refers to on the body of the sufferer.
What are boils?
Boils are deep bacterial infections of the hair follicles on the skin.
They are caused by bacteria and may occur following injury or damage to the skin or the hair follicles. A collection of boils at the same place on the skin is referred to as “carbuncles”.
