Two Neighbours, Same Disease..

TWO neighbours have been bedridden for years suffering from a rare leg-swelling disease in the first case of its kind.

Esther Ntshanlintshali and Busisiwe Zulu developed elephantiasis after being bitten by mosquitos. The pair live a stone’s throw from each other — and thought to be the first case of sufferers living so close.

Esther, 69, has been bedbound for 12 years since the condition made her legs swell to four times their normal size. She said: "I have battled this disease for a long time. I cannot move around in my house or go outside. It is so difficult and painful." And mum-of-three Busisiwe, 53, has been suffering the same for 18 years in Alexandra township in South Africa.

Her daughter Mbali, 32, said: "She is trapped in this room and always in pain." The disease - made famous by John Hurt's portrayal of real-life sufferer John Merrick in 1980 film The Elephant Man - is caused by a parasite carried by mosquitos.