NIGERIA stands out as one of the endemic countries for Noma in Africa, with about every 3 in 100 children in Nigeria having this fatal disease that is non-significantly higher in northern than southern Nigeria, a study has said.
Experts, in the first meta-analysis to evaluate the cumulative and overall prevalence of Noma in children in Nigeria, reported that malnutrition, measles, and malaria were major associated risk factors for noma, a highly fatal infection that spreads to the muscles of the face and ultimately causes facial disfigurement due to the destruction of the cheek, nose, lips, and/or eyelid.
