The World Health Organisation has adopted Cancrum Oris (Noma), an infection said to be promoted by extreme poverty and malnutrition as a "high public health priority." The adoption was taken at a recent WHO meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The event was jointly organised by the Oral Health Advocacy Initiative and the Africa Initiative for Health Innovation, Advocacy and Development. According to the Executive Director of OHM, Dr. Ver-or Ngutor, the sickness is not known because it is believed to be the disease of the poor and vulnerable.
He said, "Noma is not known because it is a disease of the poor and when people are poor, they don't have a voice. And the people who are policy makers are rich and feel that this type of disease will not be experienced by them. That is why it is not known. "Poverty and poor nutrition fuel the disease because if you are not eating well, have poor hygiene and immunisation, you are actually pre-disposed to this disease. So, Noma is a disease of poverty. It is common in the North because, by extrapolation, those living in that part of the country don't have the necessities for good living. They have traditional beliefs and they are stuck to those beliefs."
Adebiyi said, "During the recent regional WHO meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, WHO adopted Noma as a high public health priority and it is driving the eradication of Noma. Stakeholders should therefore join hands with the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Government to combat the disease." According to her, the disease is being fuelled by malnutrition and other diesels associated with poverty and hunger. She, however, expressed the opinion that Noma could be tackled as the Federal Government had recently declared nutritional emergency in some northern states.
Adebiyi added, "We have already identified the root cause of Noma, which is malnutrition. And from researches and surveys that have been carried out recently, the President has declared a nutrition emergency in some northern states. That goes to tell you why we are having Noma in some parts of the country than the others.
"So, the most important thing is to tackle the problem of nutrition and when we do that especially in children, we would have conquered the disease. Apart from malnutrition, there are some other diseases including diarrhoea and measles, which are also related to malnutrition."
Source:MWN
