Nigeria among Sub-Saharan countries with highest Noma prevalence — FG

File photo: The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako.

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The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, stated on Tuesday that Nigeria falls within the Noma belt of Sub-Saharan Africa, making it one of the countries with the highest prevalence of the disease.

Salako said this in Abuja at the commemoration of the 2025 National Oral Health Week and Noma Awareness Day and Scientific Conference, themed “Ending Noma through Strengthening Intersectoral and Global Cooperation.”

Salako stated that the federal government is working to expand access to and increase funding for oral health services, particularly for vulnerable populations.

He added that the government aims to integrate oral health into Primary Health Care fully, providing oral hygiene education, counselling, diagnostics, fluoride treatment, restorative services, and referrals.

The World Health Organisation said Noma is a severe gangrenous disease of the mouth and face. Its pathogenesis is linked with non-specific polymicrobial organisms and a range of modifiable risk factors and underlying social determinants shared with other neglected tropical diseases.

Noma mainly affects children aged two to six years and is found most commonly among those living in poor communities.

WHO noted that Africa is the most affected continent, although cases have also been reported in Asia, the Americas, and other regions.

The minister stated that poor oral health is a silent epidemic that undermines productivity, self-esteem, and quality of life. Yet, millions of Nigerians, especially children and the elderly, continue to suffer from preventable oral diseases such as dental caries, periodontal disease, and oral cancers.

He said, “Data has shown us that oral diseases are the most common non-communicable diseases, affecting nearly 50 per cent of the world’s population. They are accompanied by high social, economic, and health system impacts, affecting people throughout their course of life, causing pain, disfigurement, social isolation, distress, and death.

“As we know, Noma is a rapidly progressing gangrenous infection that affects the face, primarily in malnourished children with poor oral hygiene living in extreme poverty. It begins as a simple gum infection and can lead to severe disfigurement or death within days if untreated. Nigeria falls within the Noma belt of Sub-Saharan Africa, among countries with the highest prevalence of the disease, especially in the North-Western region. Factors such as poverty, malnutrition, and poor oral hygiene continue to drive the incidence, while poor surveillance systems mean many cases go undiagnosed and untreated, thus leading to avoidable deaths. This, therefore, is a disease entity that we need to confront with urgency.

“The Federal Ministry of Health is working assiduously to ensure that oral health is fully integrated into Primary Health Care, such that primary health centres provide a full complement of services, including oral hygiene education, counselling, essential diagnostics, fluoride treatment, restorative services, and referrals when necessary. The reorganisation and expansion of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund is ensuring that more funds will be made available to access oral health services, especially for vulnerable populations.

“Dental facilities will be upgraded and equipped to enhance oral health care quality. More dental professionals will be employed to provide services at these PHCs. The Ministry has also embarked on training primary health workers, community health workers, and traditional birth attendants on early identification, treatment, and referral of common oral diseases.”

He noted that the approach is helping to reduce stigmatisation, raise awareness about oral health, and ensure early identification of Noma, cleft lips, or palates for appropriate referral to comprehensive treatment, often provided free.

He added that Noma is preventable and treatable, and it is therefore unacceptable that any child in our country should suffer irreversible disfigurement or die from it, while emphasising that the government of President Bola Tinubu is committed to improving oral health through an integrated primary healthcare approach focused on risk reduction, early detection, diagnosis, and management of oral diseases at the grassroots level.

The Country Representative of Médecins Sans Frontières, Ahmed Aldikhari, said MSF had partnered with Nigeria since 2014 to deliver comprehensive Noma care, including reconstructive surgeries, physiotherapy, nutrition support, and mental health services.

Aldikhari noted that over the past decade, the joint efforts of the organisation and the government have enabled more than 1,600 major reconstructive surgeries for 1,074 patients through 33 surgical missions.

“In 2025 alone, 99 surgeries were performed for 89 patients. Equally important, capacity building remains central to our mission: 28 national surgeons and 14 anaesthetists have been trained by international specialists, strengthening Nigeria’s long-term ability to provide quality care for Noma patients.

“A major milestone in our collective work was the inclusion of Noma in the WHO list of neglected tropical diseases, a result of strong global advocacy led jointly by the Nigerian government and MSF. Nigeria is now well-positioned to transform this recognition into real progress through strengthened prevention, improved surveillance, and expanded access to treatment,” he said.

He called for sustained and deliberate investment to prevent Noma, care for those affected, and build strong health systems capable of addressing this disease.

The Chairman of Noma Aid Nigeria Initiative, Mathis Winkler, said Nigeria bears the highest burden of Noma in Africa, which explains the organisation’s investment in treatment and prevention.

“Nigeria, being the most populous country in Africa, is the most affected by the disease as far as we know. Our mission is to help survivors of Noma and prevent the disease in the first place.

“The government here is a champion in the fight against Noma, so it is easy for us to join forces to treat survivors,” he added.

On his part, the Country Director of NANI, Charles Ononiwu, said the centre had conducted 237 Noma surgeries since 2023, free of charge.

“Everything we do for these patients is completely free. Many are extremely poor, and we even cover transportation, surgery, medication, feeding, and social assistance,” he said.

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health, Amos Magaji, said the National Assembly recognises Noma as both a public health emergency and a social justice issue.

“Ending Noma is possible within our lifetime. No child should live with a preventable deformity, and no parent should suffer avoidable grief,” he said.

He added that eliminating Noma would require addressing poverty, malnutrition, and lack of clean water, alongside stronger PHC systems, community education, and sustained financing.

The PUNCH journalist, Lara, has over 10 years experience covering health, environment and CSOs

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