Medical experts claim that the widespread malnutrition in Nigeria’s north-western area is to blame for the spread of the deadly and little-known face-eating sickness. Noma, also known as ”Cancrum Oris”, is a fatal gangrenous illness that causes extensive tissue loss in the face and is linked to high morbidity and death. It is mainly primarily observed in young children who reside in isolated regions of less developed nations, especially in Africa. Noma sequelae are currently affecting 770,000 people, according to a conservative assessment of the disease’s prevalence.
One of the known causes of Noma is malnutrition, according to Dr. Sherlock, who also notes that it primarily affects persons with weak immune systems who live in extreme poverty without access to clean water or medical services. They constitute the disease’s risk factors taken as a whole. Gingivitis, or gum inflammation in medical parlance, is the initial symptom of Noma illness. It eventually proceeds to “necrotizing gingivitis,” in which the oral tissues quickly begin to degenerate. The condition then worsens to the point where the afflicted person’s face begins to enlarge.
Once the face starts swelling the disease is reaching a critical level.
According to Dr. Sherlock, when the face begins to enlarge, the disease has advanced to a serious stage. Without treatment, the disease will consume the affected person’s facial tissues. At that point, the infection is nearly fatal, and even if the victim survives, they will have severe facial scars and abnormalities, making it difficult for them to eat when their jaws become locked. Dr. Sherlock continues that the patient can only open their mouths a few centimeters. Noma affects both children and adults in the same way, but it is more prevalent in kids between the ages of two and seven. According to Dr. Sherlock, children catch it during the weaning phase.
Noma can spread to infants who are weaned off breast milk and begin eating solid food that has been prepared in unhygienic conditions. Almost 90% of youngsters who contract the virus pass away within days. Noma is more common in the northwest of Nigeria, where MSF has detected previously unheard-of numbers of malnutrition cases, particularly in children. Infections with malaria and the measles are two more risk factors for Noma, according to Dr. Sherlock, who also notes that there may be other unknown risk factors.
There is a Noma treating clinic in Sokoto state.
Nigeria decided to open a Noma clinic in Sokoto state in 1999 due to the high prevalence of Noma in the region’s northwest. In 2014, MSF started funding the clinic. In its early stages, Noma is treated by doctors by cleaning the mouth and gums and administering antibiotics to infected people. According to Dr. Sherlock, reconstructive surgery may be used as a treatment when Noma reaches severe stages. It may take up to 10 reconstructive procedures for people to fully recover. Each year, MSF conducts four Noma interventions where they provide reconstructive procedures for 120–150 affected individuals. Surgical teams have performed 1,066 procedures on 717 patients thus far, but these numbers do not take the disease’s infection rate into consideration.
Due to the Noma’s abnormally high fatality rate among rural communities, statistics and data about cases and fatality rates are not quantifiable. Dr. Sherlock points out that 90% of afflicted persons pass away from the illness before receiving appropriate medical care. He claims that the condition is also little understood, which understates the number of instances. Because of this, the sickness is sometimes misclassified as another illness, such as necrosis or cancer, and cases are not accurately recorded as Noma since people are unaware of Noma, he claims. After successful procedures, MSF teams release patients with post-op care kits that include post-operative dietary supplementation. We send patients home with nutrition kits since these patients would require nutrients to recuperate properly after surviving Noma, according to Dr. Sherlock.
The WHO has launched disease control and preventive programs.
MSF is currently pleading with the World Health Organization (WHO) to include the fatal Noma on the list of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The disease’s inclusion on the list would raise awareness of it and the methods for preventing it. Neglected Tropical Diseases are a group of illnesses that are claimed to impact low-income populations disproportionately. The WHO has launched disease control and preventive programs in endemic areas and taken moves toward public health approaches against NTDs throughout the past ten years. MSF reported that a representative from the Federal Ministry of Health of Nigeria submitted the Noma dossier with WHO officials in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, following a three-year global advocacy and communication campaign. The WHO will make the ultimate decision on whether to include Noma on its list of neglected tropical illnesses during one of its biennial sessions in 2023, according to a news release from MSF.
Related Link
NLM: Website
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Noma Disease is worsened by Malnutrition. – A deadly face-eating disease is spreading due to a lack of nutrition. – Express your point of view.
It is really important WHO put in efforts to raise awareness of the disease (Noma) and the methods for preventing it.
The root of the problem should be address first which is Malnutrition since it will help in hasten the treatment of the Noma Disease.
The spread of Noma Disease should be handled with great caution and care. The healthcare givers should act fast to control the spread of the disease. Since proper nutrition can help treatment of the disease provision should be made to help in this regard.
Extreme caution and care must be exercised to prevent the spread of Noma Disease. Healthcare providers need to move quickly to stop the sickness from spreading.
Noma has an identical impact on both children and adults, however it is more common in children between the ages of two and seven.
It is believed that severe malnutrition in Nigeria’s north-western region is to blame for the emergence of the face-eating disease, which can be fatal and is relatively unknown.
It is most commonly seen in children under the age of five who live in remote areas of less developed countries, particularly in Africa.
Statistics and data on incidence and fatality rates for the Noma are not quantifiable due to the disease’s extremely high death rate in rural areas.
Those with compromised immune systems who are living in extreme poverty and do not have access to clean water or medical services are most likely to be impacted by it.
The condition eventually deteriorates to the point where the affected person’s face starts to swell and become more distended.
Although the disease manifests itself in the same manner in both children and adults, it is significantly more common in children between the ages of two and seven.
Babies who are weaned off breast milk and begin consuming solid food that has been prepared in unclean settings are at risk of contracting the noda virus, which can transmit to other newborns.
As a group, Neglected Tropical Diseases are said to disproportionately affect low-income groups, so adding the condition to the list will increase knowledge of it and the means of prevention.
The federal government should all it take to curb the problem of manultrition in the north because the problem is beyond the state government and of lack of food can bring different type of diseases.
Noma Disease is worsened by Malnutrition. This country Nigeria have so such much problem to solve.
Lack of malnutrition food cause a lot now noma disease is worse because of malnutrition eating of nutrition food will help the body to build well
This disease is actually very bad. It is even worse than malnutrition. I hope the victims suffering from it are well treated and they can recover from them. I pray for healing them.
The face-eating sickness, which can be lethal and is relatively unknown, is said to have emerged as a result of chronic malnutrition in Nigeria’s north-western area.
The spread of Noma Disease must be stopped with the utmost care and prudence. Quick action is required on the part of healthcare professionals to stop the illness’s spread.
Seeing that the issue of manultrition in the north is beyond the purview of individual states and that a lack of food can lead to a variety of diseases, the federal government should do everything it takes to address the situation.