Noma in Viet-Nam

Conclusion

With regard to 51 cases of noma treated in the infant medical clinic between April 1950 and March 1953 we came to the following conclusions:

Noma is not an unknown disease in Viet-Nam.

It exhibits in its typical form the characteristics of noma in Europe and is secondary to an infectious disease— rubella in most cases and non-contagious without any specific bacteriology.

It bears a close relation to unhygienic and sub-standard nutritional conditions which are found in populations suffering from privations.

Penicillin therapy has changed the prognosis of noma which was previously mostly fatal.

Early treatment with massive dosage in order to avoid loss of a considerable amount of tissue leaving horrible deformities is desirable. Propaganda along these lines are of great importance.

Lastly, treatment by plastic surgery is necessary but its difficulty is considerable because of the poor condition of cicatricial tissue and the young age of the patients.