| Funded
by the Hirzel Foundation, GESNOMA conducts research on the infectious
disease of Noma. The main goal of GESNOMA is to understand the
mechanisms and causes of the infectious disease of noma with the
aim to find an appropriate treatment.
Noma (cancrum oris) is a devastating,
gangrenous disease leading to severe tissue destruction in the
face and associated with high morbidity and mortality. It is observed
almost exclusively in young children living in remote areas of
developing countries, particularly Africa.
A research program has been initiated
by GESNOMA out of Zinder (Niger) in collaboration with the "Sentinelles"
association.
Surgical missions are conducted
in Africa by the Plastic and Reconstructive Unit of the University
of Geneva Hospitals under the direction of Professor Denys Montandon
and Dr Brigitte Pittet and partially supported by the "Association
d’Entraide pour les Mutilés du Visage" (AEMV)
and “Sentinelles”.
It's only in 1994, following alarming
reports from humanitarian organisations, that the World Health
Organisation (WHO) declared Noma to be a priority and an action
programme was initiated under a joint project involving WHO, the
National Institutes of Health of the United States, and the University
of Maryland at Baltimore.
Read more about the GESNOMA misson
and goals [more].
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