MSF Urges Urgent Action

The medical humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has called for urgent and coordinated action to improve the prevention, early detection and treatment of noma in Nigeria, warning that the neglected disease continues to claim the lives of thousands of vulnerable children despite being preventable and treatable. MSF made the call in a press statement made available to newsmen in Sokoto on Wednesday to mark efforts to raise awareness about the disease, noting that although the World Health Organisation recognised noma as a Neglected Tropical Disease in 2023, it remains largely absent from routine healthcare and child health programmes across Nigeria. According to the organisation, noma is a rapidly progressing, non-contagious disease that destroys facial tissues and bones, affecting mostly children under the age of seven living in extreme poverty, many of whom suffer from malnutrition, poor oral hygiene, inadequate immunisation and limited access to healthcare. MSF Medical Team Leader for Sokoto, Florencia Maghanga, said early detection remains the key to saving lives. “Noma is preventable and can be treated if detected early,” she said. “But if it’s left untreated, it leads to death for around 70 to 90 per cent of those infected.” She explained that children diagnosed in the early stages can be successfully treated with antibiotics, wound care, nutritional support and treatment for underlying illnesses. However, advanced cases often require extensive reconstructive surgery after the infection has been controlled. Since 2014, MSF has partnered with the Federal Ministry of Health at the Noma Children Hospital in Sokoto, one of the few specialised centres worldwide dedicated to the treatment of the disease. The organisation disclosed that between 2014 and 2025, its medical teams carried out 1,645 reconstructive surgeries for 1,078 patients. In 2025 alone, 1,034 patients received medical care, including reconstructive surgery, nutritional support, physiotherapy and psychosocial services. It added that during its first surgical intervention of 2026, conducted between April 17 and May 1, 55 reconstructive surgeries were successfully performed. Related News PCN shuts 383 pharmacies, medicine stores in Ogun over violations Customs intercepts N809.6m expired vape in Lagos Stakeholders seek private sector role in maternal health reforms MSF clarified that many survivors arrived at the hospital after years of living with severe facial deformities that make eating, speaking and breathing difficult, while also enduring stigma, psychological trauma, social exclusion, interrupted education and financial hardship. Maghanga described noma as a reflection of deeper weaknesses in Nigeria’s primary healthcare system. “Noma represents an indicator of systemic gaps in primary health care, closely associated with malnutrition, low immunisation coverage, recurrent infections, inadequate oral hygiene, and limited access to health services,” she said. The Sokoto team lead also expressed concern over the limited awareness of the disease among healthcare workers, saying many patients are repeatedly treated at several health facilities before receiving the correct diagnosis, by which time the disease has progressed significantly. MSF therefore urged the government and health authorities to integrate noma prevention, surveillance, early diagnosis and treatment into primary healthcare and national child health programmes. The organisation also called for improved training of frontline health workers, stronger referral systems, better access to essential medicines and nutritional support, and expanded public awareness campaigns to promote early presentation. “Health workers and communities need better awareness of the disease so children can receive treatment before complications become severe,” Maghanga said. “No child should suffer or die from a disease that can be prevented and treated,” she cautioned. Animashaun Salman