The proposal was presented by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, during the inauguration of  NOMA Centre on Wednesday at the National Hospital in Abuja.

Noma is a necrotising disease that destroys the mouth and the face which usually starts as a lesion (a sore) of the gums, inside the mouth.

The minister, speaking at an event to mark annual awareness day noted that the initiative supported by numerous nations, aims to secure global recognition for the battle against Noma.

Pate represented by Director, Hospital Service  Dr. Jimoh Salaudeen, emphasised the urgency to detect and address Noma (cancrum oris) affecting children under the age of five.

He further stressed the need for urgent action to be taken in the quest for accelerated implementation of SDG III and ensuring the realisation of Universal Health Coverage.

Salaudeen said, “Noma is known to affect vulnerable populations living in poverty and in remote areas of the country which do not have the necessary amenities of life and are plagued with conditions that lower the victims’ immunity leading to severe morbidity and mortality in these populations.

“Most cases of Noma occur in children between ages two and five years. Other risk factors include chronic or acute malnutrition, lack of access to healthcare, and poor oral hygiene. If left untreated, Noma is associated with a 90% mortality rate within weeks. Noma survivors are confronted with societal stigmatization, discrimination, and social isolation.”

The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, solicited support from Nigerians on the enlightenment advocacy to address the risk factors of Noma disease.

Issa-Onilu, who was presented by the Director, Public Enlightenment and Mass Mobilization, Mrs.Theresa Maduekwe, said: “Noma disease is a disease that destroys the face, soft tissues of the mouth, and the face actually affects mostly the children that manure.

“Also it is also a problem of hygiene as long as we don’t clean the mouth in the morning after eating all sorts of things, including taking soda we drink and food we eat.”

In her remarks, the WHO Country Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi, commended Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to combating Noma.

She acknowledged the minister’s leadership and Nigeria’s plea to include Noma in the Neglected Tropical Diseases list.

Kazadi, who was presented by Dr Mary Dewan, said, “Noma affects the poor and the most vulnerable, and this most affected population delay in presentation and when they present to the health facilities, cannot afford treatment. A huge number then presents with stage 3 or 4 diseases requiring resuscitation, several surgeries, and rehabilitation.”

The PUNCH reports that the anticipated inclusion in WHO’s NTD list is seen as a significant step forward for the Global Noma Community, fostering awareness, research initiatives, strategic alliances, and a coordinated global response against this preventable disease.