The Missing Faces of Ethiopia’s Poor

Yenenesh Yigsaw (right) recovers from her latest reconstructive surgery with other Noma patients at a recuperation centre outside of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. Credit: Nick Ashdown/IPSBy Nick AshdownADDIS ABABA, Jan 22 2014 (IPS) It’s hard to tell if Gelegay Tsegaye is smiling, since a flap of skin covers half his mouth, but his eyes crinkle when he talks and his muffled voice rings with an upbeat cadence. He’s sitting in a special ward of the Korean Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s most modern healthcare facility. 
Gelegay’s affability is notable because of what he’s gone through. The 34-year-old farmer from a village in Ethiopia’s Gojam region is a survivor of Noma, a rare flesh-eating infection that rots away the face.
When he was just two years old, Gelegay noticed black spots forming on his nose, which quickly spread downwards to his mouth. He received rudimentary treatment, but the diseased part of his face fell off.
Noma is only found amongst children (primary incidence is between the ages of one and four) in the poorest regions of the world, such as rural parts of sub-Saharan Africa and India. The World Health Organisation estimates there are 140,000 new cases globally each year.
Noma’s cause is abject poverty. According to the U.S. Government’s Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative, “Ethiopia is among the poorest countries in the world, with a per capita GDP of 471 dollars.” About 29.6 percent of this Horn of Africa’s 90 mil...

Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - January 22, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Nick Ashdown Tags: Africa Aid Bitter Pill: Obstacles to Affordable Medicine Development & Aid Featured Headlines Health Human Rights Population Poverty & MDGs Projects Regional Categories TerraViva Europe TerraViva United Nations CARE Ethiopia Source Type: news