With over 25,000 children reported to have Noma disease in the country, the federal government is collaborating with partners to establish a national control programme with the goal to eradicate the disease from the country.
Noma, also known as Ciwon Noma in Hausa, is an infection which eats off the soft tissues of the mouth, face or genitals.
The disease mainly affects children under the age of 12 in poor countries in Africa.
It is a rapidly progressive, often gangrenous ulcer which is usually painless and ensues a degradation of the tissues of the bone in the face.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2017 National Noma Day in Abuja yesterday, the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, said the government was collaborating with its partners to establish a National Noma Control Programme in Nigeria.
The stakeholders meeting tagged “No Noma in Nigeria, a multi stakeholder’s task”, was a platform to draw a road map for creating awareness of the disease among health practitioners and how they can in turn educate the public.
Adewole who was represented by the permanent secretary of the ministry, Clement Uwaifo, said following 21,357 cases reported in 2015 across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, the federal government has made it a goal to prevent the disease and eradicate it completely on the long run.
“This figures are alarming and calls for urgent actions and a multi-stakeholder approach to stem the tide of its spread in Nigeria,” he said.
Adewole added that the National Noma Day was commemorated to raise awareness on the need to reinforce actions to prevent the disease as well as develop a policy of common action to eventually eradicate it.
According to the minister, the current incidence of Noma in Africa and Nigeria could be attributed to many factors that have adversely affected the health and well-being of children. (Premium Times)
