People at risk

Noma mainly affects children under 10 living in conditions of extreme poverty. It strikes most in poor rural areas, lacking potable water and where malnutrition is common, especially in arid areas.

Risk factors

The factors favoring the development of noma most often incriminated are:

• Malnutrition and dietary deficiencies, especially in vitamin C
• Poor dental hygiene
• Infectious diseases. Noma occurs most often in children who have contracted measles and / or malaria. HIV infection also increases the risk of noma, as do other conditions such as cancer, herpes or typhoid fever.⁵.