Noma

Noma, also known as gangrenous stomatitis or cancrum oris, is a rapidly progressing and often fatal infection of the mouth and face that destroys soft tissue. It typically begins as an ulcer on the gums and spreads quickly into the jawbone, cheek, and surrounding facial tissue, leading to tissue death and, without treatment, fatal systemic infection. Survivors are frequently left with severe facial disfigurement and lasting impairments in breathing, swallowing, speaking, or vision, and the disease is strongly linked to poverty and malnutrition; it was added to the World Health Organization's list of neglected tropical diseases in 2023.