By Gabriel Ameh
SOKOTO, Nigeria – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called on the Nigerian government and health stakeholders to urgently strengthen efforts to prevent, detect, and treat noma, a deadly but preventable disease that continues to affect vulnerable children across the country.
Although the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognized noma as a Neglected Tropical Disease in 2023, MSF said the disease remains largely overlooked in Nigeria’s routine healthcare system and child health programmes.
Noma is a rapidly progressing, non-contagious disease that destroys facial tissues and bones, primarily affecting children under the age of seven living in extreme poverty. The disease is closely linked to severe malnutrition, poor oral hygiene, inadequate vaccination, recurrent infections, and limited access to quality healthcare.
Speaking on Tuesday in Sokoto, MSF Medical Team Leader, Florencia Maghanga, stressed that noma is both preventable and treatable when diagnosed early.
“Noma is preventable and can be treated if detected early. But if left untreated, it leads to death in about 70 to 90 percent of infected children,” Maghanga said.
She explained that early-stage noma can be successfully managed with antibiotics, wound care, nutritional support, and treatment of underlying illnesses. However, advanced cases often require complex reconstructive surgeries after patients are medically stabilized.
Since partnering with the Nigerian Ministry of Health in 2014, MSF has supported the Noma Children Hospital in Sokoto, one of the few specialized centres worldwide dedicated to treating the disease.
Between 2014 and 2025, MSF carried out 1,645 reconstructive surgeries for 1,078 patients. In 2025 alone, 1,034 patients received comprehensive care, including surgery, nutritional rehabilitation, physiotherapy, and psychosocial support.
During the first surgical intervention of 2026, held between April 17 and May 1, MSF successfully performed 55 reconstructive surgeries, helping survivors regain essential facial functions and improve their quality of life.
Many survivors arrive at the hospital after years of living with severe facial deformities that make eating, speaking, and breathing extremely difficult. Beyond the physical damage, many also suffer psychological trauma, social stigma, exclusion from education, limited economic opportunities, and financial hardship for their families.
According to Maghanga, noma reflects deeper weaknesses in Nigeria’s primary healthcare system.
“Noma represents an indicator of systemic gaps in primary healthcare. It is closely associated with malnutrition, low immunization coverage, recurrent infections, poor oral hygiene, and limited access to healthcare services,” she said.
MSF also expressed concern over the low level of awareness about noma among healthcare workers, noting that many children visit several health facilities before receiving the correct diagnosis, allowing the disease to worsen and reducing their chances of survival.
The organisation urged Nigerian authorities to integrate noma prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance into primary healthcare services and national child health programmes.
It also recommended improved training for frontline health workers, stronger disease surveillance systems, effective referral mechanisms, better access to essential medicines and nutritional support, and wider public awareness campaigns.
“Health workers and communities need greater awareness of the disease so children can receive treatment before complications become severe.
No child should suffer or die from a disease that can be prevented and treated,” Maghanga added.
MSF said stronger collaboration between government, healthcare providers, and development partners is essential to ensure that vulnerable children receive timely diagnosis and life-saving treatment.
