Until now, all cases of a rare disease called Epidermodysplasia verruciformis in severe form have been diagnosed in males. These people were called "tree man" in the press. A Bangladeshi girl is likely the first female to be diagnosed with the disease.
10-year-old Shahana has been ill almost from birth, the first signs of the disease appeared at 6 months. Warty growths appeared all over the body, reaching the face and ears. The girl's family lives in a remote village and believes that only a hospital in Dhaka (capital of Bangladesh) can help the child.
Despite the growths, Shahana says that at school, classmates are not opposed to her, they greet and communicate with her. Although often in such communities, people with anomalies on their bodies are considered outcasts.
Shahana's disease, like that of other tree people, is still considered incurable. Only an operation to remove the growths can help, but they grow back over time.
The most famous tree-man in the world was the Indonesian fisherman Dede Koswara. He underwent several operations, but due to complications, he died in 2016.
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