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Noma | Collections | MSF Science Portal
Noma

Noma

Noma, also known as cancrum oris, is a rapidly progressing life-threatening infection that affects the mouth and face. Noma is preventable and easy to treat if addressed in the early reversible stages, but most often deadly if untreated. The disease most commonly affects children who are chronically malnourished or whose immune systems are otherwise compromised. Noma affects an estimated 140,000 children annually. Noma was added to the WHO's list of Neglected Tropical Diseases in 2023. 


MSF is working to discover more about noma. This collection highlights MSF's mixed methods research on treatment outcomes, burden of disease, attitudes towards the disease and other aspects of noma.


For more information on MSF's work on noma, you can also visit https://noma.msf.org/.

Collection Content

Journal Article
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Research

Prospective outcomes of noma facial reconstructive surgery in Sokoto, Nigeria

Amirtharajah M, Olaleye M, Oluyide B, Lenglet A, Ariti C,  et al.
2024-07-26 • Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine
2024-07-26 • Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine

BACKGROUND

Noma is a gangrenous infection of the face that results in severe facial deformity, occurring primarily in malnourished and impoverished populations.

OBJ...

Journal Article
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Review

Noma, a neglected disease: prevention is better than cure

Farley ES, Amirtharajah M, Shaye DA
2022-07-05 • Current Opinion in Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery
2022-07-05 • Current Opinion in Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
There is a need for concerted effort to increase global awareness about noma (cancrum oris). This paper aims to summarize the recent literature on noma and provide ...
Journal Article
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Review

Noma (cancrum oris): A scoping literature review of a neglected disease (1843 to 2021)

Farley ES, Mehta UC, Srour ML, Lenglet AD
2021-12-14 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
2021-12-14 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
BACKGROUND
Noma (cancrum oris) is an ancient but neglected and poorly understood preventable disease, afflicting the most disenfranchised populations in the world. It is a devastatin...
Journal Article
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Commentary

Noma, a neglected disease: A viewpoint article

Farley ES, Ariti C, Amirtharajah M, Kamu C, Oluyide B,  et al.
2021-06-17 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
2021-06-17 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Journal Article
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Commentary

Model of care, Noma Children’s Hospital, northwest Nigeria

Isah S, Amirtharajah M, Farley ES, Adetunji AS, Samuel J,  et al.
2021-06-03 • Tropical Medicine and International Health
2021-06-03 • Tropical Medicine and International Health
The Nigerian Ministry of Health has been offering care for noma patients for many years at the Noma Children's Hospital (NCH) in Sokoto, northwest Nigeria, and Médecins Sans Frontières h...
Journal Article
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Case Report/Series

Outcomes at 18 mo of 37 noma (cancrum oris) cases surgically treated at the Noma Children's Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria

Farley ES, Amirtharajah M, Winters RD, Taiwo AO, Oyemakinde MJ,  et al.
2020-08-12 • Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
2020-08-12 • Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
BACKGROUND
Noma is a rapidly progressing infection of the oral cavity frequently resulting in severe facial disfigurement. We present a case series of noma patients surgically treate...
Journal Article
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Research

The prevalence of noma in northwest Nigeria

Farley ES, Oyemakinde MJ, Schuurmans J, Ariti C, Saleh F,  et al.
2020-04-14 • BMJ Global Health
2020-04-14 • BMJ Global Health
BACKGROUND
Noma, a rapidly progressing infection of the oral cavity, mainly affects children. The true burden is unknown. This study reports estimated noma prevalence in children in ...
Journal Article
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Research

Language and beliefs in relation to noma: a qualitative study, northwest Nigeria

Farley ES, Lenglet AD, Abubakar A, Bil K, Fotso A,  et al.
2020-01-23 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
2020-01-23 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
BACKGROUND
Noma is an orofacial gangrene that rapidly disintegrates the tissues of the face. Little is known about noma, as most patients live in underserved and inaccessible regions...
Journal Article
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Research

'I treat it but I don't know what this disease is': a qualitative study on noma (cancrum oris) and traditional healing in northwest Nigeria

Farley ES, Bala HM, Lenglet AD, Mehta UC, Abubakar N,  et al.
2020-01-01 • International Health
2020-01-01 • International Health
BACKGROUND
Noma, a neglected disease mostly affecting children, with a 90% mortality rate if untreated, is an orofacial gangrene that disintegrates the tissues of the face in <1 wk. ...
Journal Article
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Research

Risk factors for diagnosed noma in northwest Nigeria: A case-control study, 2017

Farley ES, Lenglet AD, Ariti C, Jiya NM, Adetunji AS,  et al.
2018-08-23 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
2018-08-23 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Noma (cancrum oris), a neglected tropical disease, rapidly disintegrates the hard and soft tissue of the face and leads to severe disfiguration and high mortality. The disease is poorly ...

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Climate change and health
Climate change and health
The climate crisis is also a health and humanitarian crisis, disproportionately impacting people in the world’s most climate-sensitive regions—mainly low- and low-middle income countries with the least capacity to respond. MSF and other humanitarian organizations witness the consequences daily. More frequent, intense weather events and a warming planet contribute to food and water scarcity, more severe and widespread disease outbreaks, and more injuries and preventable deaths. They also drive massive population displacement, with over 32 million people fleeing their homes in 2022 alone due to floods, drought, storms and fire—nearly triple the number displaced by violence and conflict. As global leaders convene in Dubai for the UN climate conference (COP28, 30 Nov-12 Dec 2023) we present this cross-section of work by MSF and collaborators, drawing from first-hand experience at our medical projects. Emphasizing the urgency of adapting humanitarian operations to the climate crisis, the collection also explores loss and damage through a health lens, proposes policies and practices for creating climate-resilient health organizations, and advocates for embedding fair, just ethics perspectives into humanitarian action and research on climate.
Covid-19 in humanitarian settings—modelling, measuring & applying lessons (MSF Scientific Days International 2022)
Covid-19 in humanitarian settings—modelling, measuring & appl...
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Diphtheria
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