Noma - the face of poverty!

Noma is caused by bacterial infection and is not contagious.

Noma mainly affects young children at the age between two and six. Mal- and undernutrition, poor hygiene and a weakened immune system (due to other diseases such as malaria, rubella, typhoid fever etc.) help the disease spread.

Under such adverse circumstances, stomatitis and/or gingival infection (as well as teething) will lead to an acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG = is a sub-classification of necrotizing periodontal disease).

Yearly approximately 100,000 children suffer from noma. The mortality rate is at 80% very high. Worldwide every six minutes a child dies from noma. This disease thrives only in the poorest countries of the world, most of them located in sub-Saharan Africa. It cannot be repeated enough: noma ravages the poorest of the poor - noma is, in the truest sense of the word, the face of poverty!