Noma disease kills most untreated patients, MSF warns
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Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that 70 to 90 percent of people with Noma disease die without treatment.
Noma, a non-contagious disease, quickly destroys facial tissue and bone, causing severe damage and life-threatening complications. MSF has worked with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health since 2014 to support Noma Hospital in Sokoto, providing medical treatment, nutritional care, and psychosocial support to patients. Between 2014 and 2025, the hospital performed 1,645 reconstructive surgeries on 1,078 Noma patients.
In 2026 alone, MSF provided free surgeries to 95 patients, completing 55 surgeries in April and May and planning an additional 40 surgeries before the end of the year. The disease primarily affects children under seven years old in conditions of poverty, malnutrition, and limited access to healthcare. Even when they survive, patients often struggle with eating, speaking, breathing, and face social exclusion.
Despite the World Health Organization recognizing Noma as a Neglected Tropical Disease in 2023, MSF notes that it is not routinely included in Nigeria’s healthcare programs, and awareness of the disease remains low among communities and healthcare workers.
