Tucked into the sunbaked rolling hills of Brazil's midwest, Araras is home to what is thought to be the largest single group of people suffering from a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP."
Those with the disease are extremely sensitive to ultraviolet rays from sunlight and highly susceptible to skin cancers. It robs victims of the ability to repair the damage caused by the sun.
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Djalma Antonio Jardim who has a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP," looks in a a mirror at his home in the Araras community of Brazil's Goias state. In an effort to camouflage how the disease has eaten away the skin on his lips, nose, cheeks and eyes, Jardim wears a rudimentary orange-tinted mask, its stenciled-in right eyebrow not matching his bushy real one that remains. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo PeresThis is a village where the people melt away.
Tucked into the sunbaked rolling hills of Brazil's midwest, Araras is home to what is thought to be the largest single group of people suffering from a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP."
Those with the disease are extremely sensitive to ultraviolet rays from sunlight and highly susceptible to skin cancers. It robs victims of the ability to repair the damage caused by the sun. - Eraldo Peres, The Associated Press
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Djalma Antonio Jardim, who has a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP," looks out the window from inside his home in the Araras community of Brazil's Goias state. Jardim wears the large straw hat in an effort to protect his face, but it's helped little, as he has undergone more than 50 surgeries to remove skin tumors. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this April 9, 2014 photo, Dr. Sulamita Chaibub takes photos of Djalma Antonio Jardim, 38, at the Hospital Geral de Goias, in Goiania, Goias state, Brazil. For years, nobody could tell Jardim or the others what was afflicting them. "The doctors I went to said I had a blood disorder. Others said I had a skin problem. But none said I had a genetic disease," Jardim said. "It was only in 2010 that my disease was properly diagnosed." (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo PeresThat's a particularly vexing burden in Araras, a tropical farming community where outdoor work is vital for survival.
"I was always exposed to the sun — working, planting and harvesting rice and caring for the cows," said Djalma Antonio Jardim, 38. "As the years passed my condition got worse."
Agriculture is no longer a real option for Jardim. He survives on a small government pension and meager earnings from an ice cream parlor he runs. - Eraldo Peres, The Associated Press
In this April 9, 2014 photo, Djalma Antonio Jardim, who has a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP," holds his number as he waits for medical attention at the Hospital Geral de Goias in Goiania, Goias state, Brazil. Those with the disease are extremely sensitive to ultraviolet rays from sunlight and highly susceptible to skin cancers. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo PeresXP shows early signs that it has taken hold of its victims.
Jardim said he was just 9 when a large number of freckles and small lumps started appearing on his face, the tell-tale signs that experts say signal XP is present in children and call for measures to protect them against the sun.
Such precaution wasn't taken for Jardim, who now wears a large straw hat in an effort to protect his face. But it's helped little. He has undergone more than 50 surgeries to remove skin tumors. - Eraldo Peres
In this April 9, 2014 photo, Dr. Sulamita Chaibub assists Djalma Antonio Jardim who has a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP" at the Hospital Geral de Goias in Goiania, Goias state, Brazil. "I was always exposed to the sun, working, planting and harvesting rice and caring for the cows," said Jardim. "As the years passed my condition got worse." (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this March 4, 2014 photo, Rafael Freire de Andrade, 8, who suffers the "XP" disease, rides his bike, covering himself from the sunlight with a cardboard box in Araras community, Goias state, in Brazil. This is a village where the people melt away. Tucked into the sunbaked rolling hills of Brazil's midwest, the enclave called Araras, "macaws" in Portuguese, is home to what's thought to be the largest single group of people suffering from a rare inherited skin disease commonly known as "XP." (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo PeresBeyond skin damage and cancers, about one in five XP patients may also suffer from deafness, spastic muscles, poor coordination or developmental delays, according to the U.S.-based National Cancer Institute.
More than 20 people in this community of about 800 have XP. That's an incidence rate of about one in 40 people — far higher than the one in 1 million people in the United States who have it. - Eraldo Peres, The Associated Press
In this April 9, 2014 photo, Deides Freire de Andrade, 44, waits for medical attention at the Hospital Geral de Goias, in Goiania, Goias state, Brazil. For years, nobody could tell Jardim or the others what was afflicting them. "The doctors I went to said I had a blood disorder. Others said I had a skin problem. But none said I had a genetic disease," Jardim said. "It was only in 2010 that my disease was properly diagnosed." (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this March 4, 2014 photo, residents who suffer "XP" disease, walk at Araras community, Goias state, in Brazil. This is a village where the people melt away. Tucked into the sunbaked rolling hills of Brazil's midwest, the enclave called Araras, "macaws" in Portuguese, is home to what's thought to be the largest single group of people suffering from a rare inherited skin disease commonly known as "XP." (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this March 3, 2014 photo, residents who suffer "XP" disease talk during a meeting in Araras community, Goias state, in Brazil. Xeroderma pigmentosum makes those suffering from it extremely sensitive to ultraviolet rays from sunlight and makes them highly susceptible to skin cancers. It's a particularly vexing burden for those who carry the disease in this tropical community that relies on agriculture and outdoor work for survival. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo PeresExperts say Araras has such a high incidence rate because the village was founded by only a few families and several were carriers of the disease, so it was passed to future generations as villagers intermarried.
For instance, both of Jardim's parents were carriers of the defective gene that causes the disease, largely ensuring he would have it.
Gleice Francisca Machado, a village teacher whose 11-year-old son, Alison, has XP, has studied its history in the area and says she found cases of people having the disease going back 100 years. She has started an association that educates locals about XP and tries to get parents to take extra care for their children, even if they may not have outward signs of the illness themselves. - Eraldo Peres, The Associated Press
In this March 4, 2014 photo, Lasaro Santos da Silva, 56, who suffers the "XP" disease, walks at his farm in Araras community, Goias state, in Brazil. This is a village where the people melt away. Tucked into the sunbaked rolling hills of Brazil's midwest, the enclave called Araras, "macaws" in Portuguese, is home to what's thought to be the largest single group of people suffering from a rare inherited skin disease commonly known as "XP." (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this In this March 3, 2014 photo, Deides Ferreira de Andrade, 44, who suffers the "XP" disease, is seen with his motorcycle in front of the Matriz church, in Araras community, Goias state, in Brazil. Those with the disease are extremely sensitive to ultraviolet rays from sunlight and highly susceptible to skin cancers. That’s a particularly vexing burden in Araras, a tropical farming community where outdoor work is vital for survival. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this April 9, 2014 photo, Deides Freire de Andrade, right, and Djalma Antonio Jardim, behind him, both who have a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP," wait for medical attention at the Hospital Geral de Goias in Goiania, Goias state, Brazil. More than 20 people in the Araras community of about 800 have XP. That’s an incidence rate of about one in 40 people, far higher than the one in 1 million people in the United States who have it. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this April 9, 2014 photo, Dr. Sulamita Chaibub assists Djalma Antonio Jardim, who has a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP," at the Hospital Geral de Goias in Goiania, Goias state, Brazil. Both of Jardim's parents were carriers of the gene that causes the disease, largely ensuring that he would have it. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Alisson Wendel Machado Freire, 11, practices his horn instrument outside his home in the Araras community of Brazil's Goias state. Machado suffers from a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP." For years, nobody could tell residents who had this disease what was afflicting them. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Alisson Wendel Machado Freire, 11, listens to his grandfather Jose Claudio Machado, 77, play the guitar inside their home in the Araras community of Brazil's Goias state. Both of them suffer from a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP."(AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this March 3, 2014 photo, residents gather for a night of play pool in the Araras community of Brazil's Goias state. Tucked into the sunbaked rolling hills of Brazil's midwest, Araras is home to what is thought to be the largest single group of people suffering from a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP." (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In tis In this March 4, 2014 photo, Joao Goncalves da Silva, 80, who suffers from a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP," takes off his hat in the kitchen of his home in the Araras community of Brazil's Goias state. Those with the disease are extremely sensitive to ultraviolet rays from sunlight and highly susceptible to skin cancers. That’s a particularly vexing burden in Araras, a tropical farming community where outdoor work is vital for survival. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this March 4, 2014 photo, Joao Goncalves da Silva, 80, talks with his wife Geraldina Aleixo da Silva, 75, at their home in the Araras community in Brazil's Goias state. Both suffer from a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP." Experts say Araras has such a high incidence rate because the village was founded by only a few families and several were carriers of the disease, meaning it was passed to future generations as villagers intermarried. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this In this March 4, 2014 photo, residents ride horse carts in the Araras community in Goias state, in Brazil. Tucked into the sunbaked rolling hills of Brazil's midwest, Araras is home to what is thought to be the largest single group of people suffering from a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP." (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this April 9, 2014 photo, Djalma Antonio Jardim, who has a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP," watches his cellphone as he waits for medical attention at the Hospital Geral de Goias in Goiania, Goias state, Brazil. Jardim has undergone more than 50 surgeries to remove skin tumors. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this April 9, 2014 photo, Djalma Antonio Jardim talks with a receptionist at the Hospital Geral de Goias in Goiania, Goias state, Brazil. For years, nobody could tell Jardim or the others in their community of Araras what was afflicting them. "The doctors I went to said I had a blood disorder. Others said I had a skin problem. But none said I had a genetic disease," Jardim said. "It was only in 2010 that my disease was properly diagnosed." (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Eraldo Peres
In this March 4, 2014 photo, Rafael Freire de Andrade, 8, who suffers from a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP," rides his bike that has a cardboard box to shade himself from th sun, in the Araras community of Brazil's Goias state. Those with the disease are extremely sensitive to ultraviolet rays from sunlight and highly susceptible to skin cancers. That’s a particularly vexing burden in Araras, a tropical farming community where outdoor work is vital for survival. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
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