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Noma Recognized as a Neglected Disease: Where do We Go from Here?
Series | Policy Briefs
Authors: Marta Mascareñas, Marta Ribes, Gemma Moncunill and Carlos Chaccour* [ This document is one of a series of discussion notes addressing fundamental questions about global health. Its purpose is to transfer scientific knowledge into the public conversation and decision-making process. The papers are based on the best information available and may be updated as new information comes to light. ] January 30, 2025
A year ago, in late 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) added noma disease to its official list of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs); although the most recent addition to the list, the ailment is by no means new.1 Noma—also known as cancrum oris—is a rapidly-progressing infection that causes severe damage to the mouth and face and almost exclusively affects children living in the most impoverished conditions.2 The disease is unique in being both acutely lethal and, for the few who survive, chronically disabling and stigmatising. Unlike most of the other NTDs, noma is not transmissible and does not have a single identifiable cause. Its risk factors, while not yet fully understood,
are linked to the classic hallmarks of poverty, including undernourishment and deficient sanitary conditions. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus has highlighted that noma is itself a marker of poverty.1 These risk factors underscore the fact that noma is not only a health issue, but is fundamentally a human rights concern.3 Recognising noma as an NTD was the first step in ensuring that survivors are not abandoned and that efforts are made to prevent the disease and to provide timely treatment to as many children as possible. The recognition of noma as an NTD was the result of over a decade of dedicated advocacy work. The challenge now is to leverage this achievement
Photograph: Marta Ribes/ISGlobal * Marta Mascareñas is a resident physician in preventive medicine and public health at the University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela. Marta Ribes is a PhD fellow researching noma epidemiology at ISGlobal. Gemma Moncunill is an Assistant Research Professor at ISGlobal. Carlos Chaccour is a senior researcher at Universidad de Navarra. 1
World Health Organization. WHO officially recognizes noma as a neglected tropical disease [Internet]. [cited 2024 Dec 16]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news/item/15-12-2023-who-officially-recognizes-noma-as-a-neglected-tropical-disease.
2 World Health Organization. Noma [Internet]. [cited 2024 Dec 16]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/ detail/noma. 3
Committee UHRCA. Study of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee on severe malnutrition and childhood diseases with children affected by noma as an example. 2012 Jan 23 [cited 2024 Dec 16]; Available from: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/720466.
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