FACING AFRICA-NOMA
What is Noma?
Noma (Cancrum Oris) occurs in young children who are malnourished and debilitated by diseases like measles and malaria. The early stages of noma are characterised by a swelling of the cheek and/or lip, excessive salivation and pain. Within a few days, the cheek and lip discolour and the mouth becomes extremely foul smelling. Teeth become loose. Within a week, the skin of the cheek and/or lip is perforated and the gangrene of the facial tissue spreads very rapidly to the jaws, nose and eyes. Virtually all victims will have succumbed to sepsis by this stage. Without treatment in the early stages with relatively simple and inexpensive antibiotics, it is estimated that 90% of patients die. The 10% who survive are the true victims - facially disfigured, unable to eat and speak satisfactorily, ostracised by society, school and friends.
Where is Noma?
The disease is found in a few countries of South East Asia and South America, but in particular in the "nomabelt" of sub-Sahara Africa (Mauretania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso etc). Until the 1860's noma was prevalent all over Europe but disappeared when even the poorest members of society were able to feed their children sufficiently.
It is of course unlikely that you and your doctor for that matter will have ever heard of noma. In contrast to diseases such as malaria, polio, AIDS and leprosy, noma only occurs in those, who by birth find themselves in the lower section of society, deprived of adequate food, education and health care. The fate of noma victims is simply ignored by health officials both in the less developed countries and in the Western world. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated in 1998 that 140,000 new cases of noma occur each year and of these, a mere 10% survive. That means that 126,000 die each and every year!
What is Facing Africa doing?
During the past 10 years, a number of non-governmental organisations (NGO) from various European countries such as France, Switzerland, Holland, Germany and the UK have initiated projects that address noma and the 'face of poverty'. The aims have been to raise the awareness of noma both in the developing world and the western world; provide the surgical rehabilitation of surviving noma victims; assist in prevention of the disease and provide further scientific research.
Facing Africa is the leading British non-governmental organisation (registered charity number 1072505) in this field and is involved in several projects in Africa. Facing Africa is on the board of the only dedicated noma hospital in the world, the Noma Children's Hospital Sokoto in Northern Nigeria. There are four teams of volunteer maxillofacial and plastic surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses sent each year to Sokoto. Each team operates on about 50 noma victims as well as cleft palate/lip and facial tumours. The cost of sending each team is about A$90,000 (about A$2,000 per patient - imagine a new face and a new life for $2,000!)
A new face and a new life are entirely dependent on the goodwill and skills of volunteer teams and of course on the goodwill and generosity of sponsors.
The Marathon des Sables 2008 begins March 30th...
Please see http://www.facingafrica.org for further details.
