'Nomas' - Facial Disfigurements

MrBojangles73 · #1 ● 03-12-2010, 07:50 AM

Most cases of NOMA start with ulcers on the gums. From there, the disease spreads; the mouth becomes sore and cheeks or lips become tender and swell. This causes the child considerable pain and within a few days the facial flesh starts to decay. As the gangrene destroys the flesh (sometimes even bones) a scab forms and eventually falls off leaving a gaping hole in the face. In infancy, the lips are often eaten away thus preventing the child from breastfeeding. Once facial decomposition has set in, 4 out of 5 children will die if they do not reach an hospital in time and as most of the victims live in abject poverty and in remote villages, medical treatment is not a consideration. The survivors will carry grotesque disfigurement for the rest of their lives. Most will not be able to eat or speak normally.

Although Noma is virtually unheard of in developed countries (except for immunosuppressed children), it still strikes with devastating regularity among impoverished children of sub-Saharan Africa. (The incidence rate ranges from 1 to 12 per 1000 children, depending on the area.) The disease can strike adults, but it is typically affects children between 3 and 12 years of age. The primary cause of the condition is malnutrition coupled with poor oral hygiene - something that should be easy to prevent... in a sane world.