World news | The Guardian•Apr 25
‘Astonishing’ discovery could help save children from deadly disfiguring condition
The “astonishing” discovery of a new bacterium could open the door to better ways to prevent, detect and treat a fatal and disfiguring childhood disease, researchers hope. Noma, which is fatal in 90% of cases without treatment, begins as a sore on the gums but goes on to destroy the tissues of the mouth and face. Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, who was not involved in the study, said the findings were a useful first step to understanding a “currently mysterious condition”.
