Hilfsaktion NOMA

The Hilfsaktion Noma e.V. cares for children in the poorest countries of Africa who suffer from a terrible infectious disease called Noma. Noma is a bacterial disease that almost exclusively affects malnourished children in developing countries.

Noma mainly affects infants and young children who suffer from poor oral hygiene and malnutrition and whose immune systems are weakened by diseases such as typhoid, measles or HIV. Under these conditions, any injury in the mouth, such as when the first teeth erupt, can develop into noma within a few days. As a bacterial mix, harmless to healthy people, it spreads in the mouth, attacks the mucous membrane, eats its way further through flesh, muscles, bones. And within two weeks it leaves behind faces reminiscent of scary films.

This can sometimes also lead to impairment of all bodily functions, such as eating, speaking, smelling, seeing and hearing. The most successful way to combat the disease would be to improve living conditions in developing countries, as noma spreads when there is a lack of food and poor hygiene. For them, Dr Harald Kubiena and his team are the only hope for a halfway normal life.

Photo credit: Hilfsaktion Noma e.V.