• The World Health Organization (WHO) recently added one of the world’s most underrecognised health challenges, Noma, to its official list of neglected tropical diseases (NTD).

ABOUT NOMA

NTDs are a diverse group of 20 conditions that are mainly prevalent in tropical areas, where they affect more than 1 billion people who live in impoverished communities.

• The name of the disease comes from the Greek word “nomē”, meaning “to devour”, as noma eats away facial tissue and bones if not treated early.
• Also known as cancrum oris or gangrenous stomatitis, it is a severe gangrenous disease of the mouth and face.
• Noma mainly affects children aged 2-6 years old and is found most commonly among those living in poor communities.
• It is also associated with extreme poverty, malnutrition and poor access to sanitation and oral hygiene.
• The NTD is frequently seen in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where it occurs almost exclusively among poor children usually aged 3-10 years.
• There is an extreme lack of awareness regarding the disease.
  • There are no reliable numbers of cases — the WHO website lists the ‘latest’ estimates 140,000 cases per year and a prevalence of 770,000 cases.
• Noma is associated with a number of risk factors, including poor oral hygiene, malnutrition, weakened immune systems, infections, and extreme poverty.
• While the disease is not contagious, it prefers to attack when the body’s defences are weak.
• The disease begins with gum inflammation and is thought to be caused by bacteria found in the mouth.
• It has a mortality rate of approximately 90 per cent.