Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called for the integration of noma prevention and treatment into Nigeria’s primary healthcare system to protect vulnerable children from the devastating disease.

Noma is a non-contagious disease that rapidly destroys facial tissues and bones. About 90 per cent of those affected die within two weeks without timely antibiotic treatment.

Survivors often experience severe difficulties eating, speaking and breathing, as well as social stigma, financial hardship and psychological distress.

Although the World Health Organisation (WHO) classified noma as a Neglected Tropical Disease in 2023, it remains largely absent from routine healthcare and child health programmes in Nigeria.

The disease predominantly affects children under seven in underserved communities marked by extreme poverty, malnutrition, low immunisation coverage and poor oral hygiene.

Speaking on the need to strengthen grassroots healthcare, MSF Nursing Activity Manager at the Noma Hospital in Sokoto, Samuel Ajamah, called for better training.

And awareness among frontline health workers, inclusion of noma in routine disease surveillance, effective referral pathways, essential medicines, nutritional support and comprehensive care.

He stressed that early detection and treatment were critical.

“Noma is preventable and treatable. No child should suffer or die from a disease that can be detected early and effectively managed,” he said.

Ajamah explained that early-stage noma could be treated with antibiotics, wound care, nutritional support and management of underlying conditions.

He said global recognition of the disease must translate into practical investments in prevention, early diagnosis and access to treatment.

“Recognition of noma as a Neglected Tropical Disease was an important step, but recognition alone is not enough. We need practical investment in prevention, early diagnosis, and access to care,” he said.

Describing noma as a marker of inequality, Ajamah said tackling the disease required stronger primary healthcare, improved nutrition and immunisation coverage, and greater access to health services.

MEANWHILE, the Sokoto State Ministry of Health’s Noma Hospital, supported by MSF, has commenced this year’s surgical intervention and is targeting 40 patients for reconstructive procedures.

Ajamah said MSF teams had performed 1,645 reconstructive surgeries on 1,078 patients. In 2025, 1,034 patients received medical treatment and support, including surgery, nutrition, physiotherapy and psychosocial care. An earlier surgical intervention in 2026 delivered 55 reconstructive procedures.

He lamented that low awareness among communities and frontline health workers often forced patients to visit several facilities before receiving an accurate diagnosis, resulting in missed opportunities for early treatment.