Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has disclosed that it carried out 1,645 reconstructive surgeries for 1,078 noma patients at the Noma Hospital in Sokoto between 2014 and 2025.
Speaking at a media briefing in Sokoto, the Nursing Activity Manager of the hospital, Mr. Ajamah Samuel Afemike, said in 2026 alone, 95 patients benefited from its free surgical interventions.
Afemike said 55 surgeries were performed during the first phase of the intervention held between April 17 and May 1, while 40 more patients are expected to undergo surgery in the ongoing final phase for the year.
He explained that MSF, which has supported the Ministry of Health’s Noma Hospital since 2014, provides early case detection, medical treatment, nutritional care, physiotherapy and psychosocial support to patients.
According to him, noma is a non-contagious disease that rapidly destroys facial tissues and bones, progressing within days and causing severe facial damage and life-threatening complications if left untreated.
He said if left untreated, approximately 70 to 90 per cent of affected people die, while survivors often suffer difficulties in eating, speaking, breathing and carrying out daily activities.
Afemike added that many survivors also face stigma, social exclusion, psychological distress, barriers to education and livelihoods, and financial hardship.
He noted that noma primarily affects children under seven years old and is closely associated with extreme poverty, malnutrition, inadequate oral hygiene, low immunisation coverage, recurrent infections and limited access to healthcare.
He described noma as both a medical condition and an indicator of broader gaps in primary healthcare systems, lamenting that awareness remains extremely limited among communities and frontline healthcare workers.
He observed that many patients visit multiple health facilities before receiving correct diagnosis, thereby losing opportunity for life-saving early treatment with antibiotics, wound care and nutritional support.
Despite being recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) in 2023, Afemike said noma remains largely absent from routine healthcare and child health programmes in Nigeria, calling for stronger action to integrate its prevention, detection, treatment, referral and surveillance into primary healthcare.