Noma, a disease that should no longer exist
Sentinelles, one of the major players and pioneers in the fight against noma, joined this event and sent the head of the Noma Programme in Burkina Faso to the event.
Noma mainly affects children under the age of seven living in poverty. Some 90% of those who are ill die within the first two weeks if they do not receive timely antibiotic treatment. For survivors, noma leaves them with a severely disfigured face, making it difficult to eat, speak, see or breathe in a matter of days. In addition, they face social stigma because of the terrible damage to their faces.
While some diseases such as Covid-19 receive massive attention from the media, research institutes and policy makers, noma remains neglected. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) believes the disease can be tackled by adding it to the World Health Organisation’s list of neglected tropical diseases by 2023.
Le 24 mai, MSF (Médecins sans frontières), en collaboration avec la SANTD (L'”Alliance suisse contre les maladies tropicales négligées”) et le Club de la Presse de Genève, a organisé un débat pour sensibiliser le public sur la façon de combattre cette maladie qui ne devrait plus exister.
