By Gabriel Ameh
ABUJA | Media360Impact Report
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called on Nigerian authorities to integrate noma prevention, early diagnosis and treatment into primary healthcare, warning that gaps in awareness and access continue to delay care for children and other vulnerable patients.
The appeal comes as the final noma surgical intervention for 2026 begins at the Ministry of Health’s Noma Hospital in Sokoto State, where 40 patients are scheduled to undergo reconstructive surgery.
Noma is a severe, non-contagious disease that can rapidly destroy tissue and bone in the face. According to MSF, between 70 and 90 per cent of people affected may die if the disease is left untreated. Survivors can experience lasting difficulties with eating, speaking and breathing, as well as stigma, financial hardship and barriers to education.
Although the World Health Organization classified noma as a neglected tropical disease in 2023, MSF says it remains largely absent from routine healthcare and child-health programmes in Nigeria.
The disease is associated with extreme poverty, malnutrition, poor oral hygiene and low immunisation coverage, making early recognition and access to healthcare particularly important.
Samuel Ajamah, MSF Nursing Activity Manager at the Noma Hospital in Sokoto, said noma can be prevented and treated when it is identified early.
“No child should suffer or die from a disease that can be detected early and effectively managed,” Ajamah told journalists.
He explained that early-stage noma can be managed with antibiotics, appropriate wound care, nutritional support and treatment of underlying conditions.
Ajamah said the WHO classification was an important step, but called for practical investment in prevention, early diagnosis and access to treatment. He also urged stronger primary healthcare, improved nutrition, wider vaccination coverage and better access to health services.
MSF has worked with the Sokoto hospital since 2014, supporting care at one of the few specialised noma treatment centres in the world.
Between 2014 and 2025, MSF teams performed 1,645 reconstructive surgeries on 1,078 patients. In 2025, the organisation said 1,034 patients received comprehensive care, including surgery, nutrition, physiotherapy and psychosocial support.
A further 55 reconstructive procedures were carried out during a surgical intervention between April and May 2026.
Despite these efforts, limited awareness among communities and frontline health workers means some patients visit several health facilities before receiving the correct diagnosis. Such delays can reduce the chances of timely treatment.
MSF is calling for noma prevention and treatment to be incorporated into primary healthcare services, alongside better training for frontline health workers and inclusion of the disease in routine surveillance systems.
It also wants effective referral pathways to specialised treatment centres, reliable supplies of essential medicines, nutritional support and stronger community education.
The organisation says these measures would help health workers identify noma earlier, connect patients to appropriate care and reduce the risk of avoidable deaths and lifelong complications.
Source: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), based on information provided for this report.
