By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
ASHENEWS reports that a dossier has been submitted to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the Federal Ministry of Health for the inclusion of Noma disease on the list of Neglected Tropical Diseases(NTDs).
This recognition would translate to an increased global response to its prevention, treatment, and in the long run, its elimination.
According to the international medical organization Médecins Sans Frontières also known as Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Noma is a preventable and treatable disease that affects people living in poverty, especially young children, and is associated with malnutrition and unsanitary living conditions.
The disease starts as an inflammation of the gums but spreads rapidly, destroying facial tissues and bones. If left untreated, up to 90 percent of people affected will die, usually within a short time.
Those who survive are left with a severe facial disfigurement that can make it hard to eat, speak, see, or breathe, the MSF says.
The organization, in a statement released on Thursday, said that it has supported Nigeria’s drive for the inclusion of Noma disease on the World Health Organizations’ list of Neglected Tropical Diseases(NTDs).
“After a three-year international advocacy and communication campaign, a representative from the Federal Ministry of Health of Nigeria shared the dossier on noma with WHO offices in Abuja, Brazzaville, and Geneva in January 2023. MSF supported Nigeria in finalising the dossier and engaging with the co-sponsors, which include 30 countries from five WHO regions,” the statement said.
This is in addition to supporting the country in eliminating the disease, with over 1,066 free surgeries carried out for 717 patients in the country since 2014.
“MSF has been supporting the Nigerian Ministry of Health’s Sokoto Noma Hospital since 2014 by providing reconstructive surgery, nutritional and mental health support, and outreach activities. Since 2014, surgical teams have carried out 1,066 surgeries on 717 patients. All services at Sokoto Noma Hospital are provided free of charge,”
Speaking on the need for inclusion in the list of NTDs, the MSF said that the request for noma’s inclusion on the WHO’s list is in line with the resolution on oral health adopted in 2021 at the 74th World Health Assembly recommending that “noma should be considered for inclusion in the NTD portfolio as soon as the list is reviewed in 2023,”
“The inclusion of noma in the list would shine a spotlight on the most neglected of neglected diseases, facilitating the integration of noma prevention and treatment activities into existing public health programmes and the allocation of much-needed resources,” said Mark Sherlock, MSF health advisor for Nigeria.
The MSF added that the WHO will take the final decision on the inclusion of noma to its list of neglected tropical diseases during one of its biannual meetings to be held this year.
