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DStv 15 Jun 2026
Noma disease of neglect makes children faceless
Through clenched teeth and with the assistance of an adult interpreter, Noufou stuttered out his tale. He had lost both his parents, was made homelessness and lived on the streets. Then one day he woke up with blood in his mouth. Within two weeks half his face had slid off leaving a gaping hole that exposed his jaw.
Playing in the dust behind a medical clinic in Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou with other survivors of noma, a gangrenous disease, Noufou seemed shy but willing to proffer a smile accompanied by a laugh, which caused his mangled lips to splutter. The children all had bandages and sticking plaster holding their half-eaten faces together.
