noma

Noma (disease)

Noma (also known as gangrenous stomatitis or cancrum oris) is a rapidly-progressive and often-fatal gangrenous infection of the mouth and face. Noma usually begins as an ulcer on the gums and rapidly spreads into the jawbone, cheek, and facial soft tissues. This is followed by death of the facial tissues and fatal sepsis. Survivors are left with severe facial disfigurement often with impairments in breathing, swallowing, speaking, and vision. In 2023, Noma was added to the World Health Organization's list of neglected tropical diseases. This disease is linked to poverty and malnutrition; noma has also been seen in severely immunocompromised people in the developed world. It is preventable by proper nutrition and oral hygiene. Noma is most common in impoverished environments with poor healthcare infrastructure; as a result, many cases go undiagnosed, untreated, and unreported. It is an opportunistic infection linked to several microbes that take advantage of malnutrition and compromised immunity. There is no evidence of direct transmission from person to person. In the early stages, it can be treated effectively with antibiotics and nutrition supplements. If diagnosed early enough, there can be proper wound healing. After recovering, patients with disfigurement require complex surgical rehabilitation. There are no reliable estimates of its prevalence – in 1998 WHO estimated that there were 140,000 cases per year with a fatality rate of 90%. It predominantly affects children between the ages of two and six years in the least developed countries around the world, primarily...