Dr. Erick Sylivester (One Health Society)
Mr. Yona Yangaza (One Health Society)
Noma (cancrum oris)
A pernicious gangrenous infectious disease affecting the orofacial hard and soft tissue.
It is associated with high morbidity and mortality and severe facial disfigurement which calls the need the need of extensive reconstruction following treatment.
Management of Noma requires extensive care in terms of medication and reconstructive surgeries which are very expensive thus posing financial burden for the affected individuals, this rings an alarm for preventive measures against the disease as prevention is more cost effective.
Meet Dr. Erick Sylivester, a young passionate dedicated dentist graduate from the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania, global oral health advocate holding a PGD (global oral health) from the University of Bergen, Norway, and currently works closely with the One Health Society of Tanzania in the fight against neglected tropical diseases.
Dr Erick was born in the heart of the lake zone Mwanza region in a local village called Igoma.
Growing up in this setting, his interest in oral health was triggered by a devastating incidence of a young boy with a toothache where extraction was done at a traditional healer under unsterile state and the outcome was death. The region is also famous for practicing harmful traditional practices related to oral health including intra oral mutilations (IMO) of so-called plastic teeth, uvulectomy, and frenectomy.
In the course to seek an understanding in oral health, Erick was inspired to be an oral health personal in his life path.
Having joined the dental school, during his junior clinical year he encountered yet another ravaging case of NOMA in a young boy aged 5 years old.
Seeing the destruction of the disease, it fanned the flames for a deeper understanding of the disease basically on the causes, progression and the damage it has on different aspects of life of the victims throughout this journey of NOMA. Erick has focused on addressing the primary predisposing cause and risk factor for NOMA which aims to completely eliminate NOMA from the society.
NOMA is a deadly fatal disease, with a mortality rate of 90% when left untreated. It affects mostly children aged between 2 and 6 years living in poorly devastated region, around the NOMA belt of the sub-Saharan countries.
NOMA has been recognized as a newly added neglected tropical disease in the year 2023, and little research has been conducted in this new neglected tropical disease. However, malnutrition, poverty, poor oral health and immunocompromised state remain solemnly as the predisposing factors of NOMA.
Considering the fact that NOMA has great impacts to the victims and survivors of the disease, prompt actions are very crucial to counteract the impacts of the disease itself, including stigmatization, discrimination, and deprival to essential human rights.
Nearly all neglected tropical diseases including NOMA can be prevented as prevention is better than cure, towards the attainment of the sustainable development goals laid forward by the WHO. Erick started another milestone of raising NOMA awareness prevention by conducting oral health education campaign to primary school children in Dar es salaam, Tanzania, and other regions across the country in Tanzania.
It wasn’t possible to achieve this milestone on a journey to eliminate NOMA alone. He decided to collaborate with a colleague, Dr. Winifrida Lucas, whereby he initiated the movement to a healthier NOMA-free community through community outreaches which focused in remote areas by providing oral health information to primary school children, oral screening, demonstration on proper tooth brushing and other oral hygiene measures.
Due to this vision, Erick also involved the Chemi Cotex industries, the only oral care products manufacturing firm in the state to play role in the journey of eliminating NOMA. The highlighted approach was of great significance as more than ten thousand children were reached and being even provided by oral care products including toothbrush, toothpastes and flyers. The flyers were stamped in their schools to make them remember about oral health, and thus, be free from this devastating neglected tropical disease which pose severe impacts to the affected and survivors.
Interestingly enough on the course of the journey, he managed to come across Dr. Katanta Simwanza, the country director of Miracle Corners, a non-governmental organization based on oral health promotion to widen more the procession of achieving the goal laid ahead. This interaction then broadened this young passionate dental surgeon and is now looking way forward to focus on parenting the community on the importance of proper nutrition among children, importance of child immunization and early treatment of infections among children by early visit to health centers which are available all over the country, and in hand with oral health awareness measures to build a healthier society free from NOMA.
NOMA FREE SOCIETY IS IMPORTANT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
