6yr old boy in Sokoto undergoes surgery to repair damage caused by flesh-eating disease

Six-year-old Zayyanu Murtala is pictured recovering from surgery carried out few weeks ago, to reconstruct a hole in his jaw and damage to his eye, caused by the flesh-eating disease known as ‘noma’, at Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) children’s hospital in Sokoto, Nigeria.

According to Doctors Without Border, 'Noma', which came from the Greek word for 'to devour', begins as an ulcer inside the mouth, which then eats away at the cheek tissue and bones in the mouth area of the infected person. Left untreated, the disease is fatal in up to 90 percent of cases. However, if treated early, the infection can be stopped quickly with antibiotics and nutritional support.

Photo credit: Doctors Without  Borders