Ripon Sarker from Thakurgaon, Bangladesh suffers from the condition epidermodysplasia verruciformis, which causes abnormal susceptibility to human papillomavirus – causing the growth of scaly warts. The young boy was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital on August 20 for treatment for the first time, as his family couldn’t afford it. His father Mahendra Das said: ‘They haven’t carried out tests on him. Physicians say they will look into this matter before treatment.’ Poor Ripon cannot walk or eat by himself because of his tree-like hands and feet. Thankfully, doctors have said they are hopeful that his hands and feet are operable as his fingers and toes and can still be identified. Ripon’s symptoms match the ones of 26-year-old Abul Bajandar – dubbed ‘tree man’, who also has the same condition and was recently operated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Ripon is a class II student of Ketgaon Government Primary School, was affected when he was only three ...