African regions have the highest cases of NOMA disease, says WHO Director.

African regions have the highest cases of NOMA disease, says WHO Director.

By Yahaya Wakili

The Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweezu, has said that the African region has the highest number of noma cases, a rapidly progressing non-contagious gangrenous disease of the mouth that primarily affects young children.

Dr. Chikwe disclosed this in his message on World Oral Health Day, observed annually on 20th March, saying it is a vital opportunity to raise awareness and prioritize oral health—an essential component of overall well-being that is often overlooked. He noted that oral diseases such as dental caries, gum disease, and tooth loss affected 42% of the WHO African Region’s population in 2021.

“If left untreated, noma has a high fatality rate, and survivors often suffer from lifelong impairments, disfigurement, stigma, and discrimination. To tackle these challenges, member states endorsed the Regional Oral Health Strategy 2016-2025integrating oral disease into non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and control programs.

Dr. Ihekweezu maintained that oral diseases share common risk factors—tobacco, alcohol, high sugar intake, and socio-economic and commercial determinants—with other NCDs such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, making an integrated approach more effective.

Added that, at the global level, the seventy-fourth World Health Assembly (WHA74) in 2021 recognized oral health as a core part of the NCD agenda and Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This led to the endorsement of the Global Strategy on Oral Health (WHA75) and the Global Oral Health Action Plan 2023–2030 (WHA76), which includes a monitoring framework.

“Despite these advances, the African region lags behind key oral health indicators. For example, only 17% of the regional population has access to essential oral health care services. Progress in disease prevention is also slow, including fluoride use and sugar reduction efforts.

“With the support of partners like Hilfsaktion Noma e.v. and the Borrow Foundation, as well as WHO Collaborating Centres, several countries in the region have taken concrete action. Lesotho, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone developed oral health policy documents.

According to Dr. Chikwe, a new capacity-building project has been launched in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia to improve access to WHO-listed dental materials, supported by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare.

African regions have the highest cases of NOMA disease, says WHO Director.