2023/24 : In Burkina Faso, prevention and care of children suffering from noma
Noma is a disease with devastating consequences. It is a devastating gangrenous infection that attacks the mouth and face of children by ravaging the tissues and bones.
Noma has been declared a public health problem by the WHO and a priority disease for Africa. It is one of the pathologies classified by the WHO as the 4th global scourge after malaria, AIDS and cardiovascular diseases.
Noma (the term comes from Greek and means “to devour”) begins with a lesion inside the mouth. This lesion spreads quickly, destroys tissue, attacks bone and eventually makes a hole, exposing teeth and bones and gangrenous the entire face. Anorexia, apathy and death from septicemia or severe dehydration then occur.
Noma mainly affects children aged 2 to 6 years suffering from malnutrition, immunocompromised, living in extreme poverty with poor living conditions and poor oral hygiene.
Noma is often called “the face of poverty”.
In the absence of rapid treatment, the vital prognosis begins in 3 or 4 days and 90% of children die in less than 2 weeks. The rare surviving children have painful after-effects, facial mutilations, difficulty speaking and eating and are faced with real social stigma.
In all cases, the child is disfigured.
However, when detected early, the disease can be quickly stopped, either by simple hygiene measures or by antibiotics. This early detection followed by rapid treatment is decisive for the affected child and can save their life. Noma can be avoided thanks to simple actions, accessible to everyone!
Today noma is mainly present in sub-Saharan Africa (140,000 new cases estimated/year) and more particularly in Burkina Faso. The causative agent of noma remains unknown.
La Fondation La Petite Etoile is participating in this project, the aim of which is to provide a medical response to children suffering from noma. But also to ensure, through volunteer doctors, the strengthening of the skills of local doctors.
The difficulty is also to fight against misconceptions that are particularly widespread in the bush: noma is not a contagious disease, it is not due to witchcraft or a curse against parents.
Place of intervention : Bogodogo University Hospital in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina-Faso.
Budget : € 64,600
Co-participants : Fondation La Petite Etoile, La Chaîne de l’Espoir, Fondation Sentinelle, Bilaadga Association, La Voix du Paysan community radio.
Budget provided by Fondation La Petite Etoile : € 6,000
Noma is a disease with devastating consequences. It is a devastating gangrenous infection that attacks the mouth and face of children by ravaging the tissues and bones.
Noma has been declared a public health problem by the WHO and a priority disease for Africa. It is one of the pathologies classified by the WHO as the 4th global scourge after malaria, AIDS and cardiovascular diseases.
Noma (the term comes from Greek and means “to devour”) begins with a lesion inside the mouth. This lesion spreads quickly, destroys tissue, attacks bone and eventually makes a hole, exposing teeth and bones and gangrenous the entire face. Anorexia, apathy and death from septicemia or severe dehydration then occur.
Noma mainly affects children aged 2 to 6 years suffering from malnutrition, immunocompromised, living in extreme poverty with poor living conditions and poor oral hygiene.
Noma is often called “the face of poverty”.
In the absence of rapid treatment, the vital prognosis begins in 3 or 4 days and 90% of children die in less than 2 weeks. The rare surviving children have painful after-effects, facial mutilations, difficulty speaking and eating and are faced with real social stigma.
In all cases, the child is disfigured.
However, when detected early, the disease can be quickly stopped, either by simple hygiene measures or by antibiotics. This early detection followed by rapid treatment is decisive for the affected child and can save their life. Noma can be avoided thanks to simple actions, accessible to everyone!
Today noma is mainly present in sub-Saharan Africa (140,000 new cases estimated/year) and more particularly in Burkina Faso. The causative agent of noma remains unknown.
La Fondation La Petite Etoile is participating in this project, the aim of which is to provide a medical response to children suffering from noma. But also to ensure, through volunteer doctors, the strengthening of the skills of local doctors.
The difficulty is also to fight against misconceptions that are particularly widespread in the bush: noma is not a contagious disease, it is not due to witchcraft or a curse against parents.
Place of intervention : Bogodogo University Hospital in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina-Faso.
Budget : € 64,600
Co-participants : Fondation La Petite Etoile, La Chaîne de l’Espoir, Fondation Sentinelle, Bilaadga Association, La Voix du Paysan community radio.
Budget provided by Fondation La Petite Etoile : € 6,000