Impact of Erroneous Belief on Timely Health Care-Seeking Practices Among Noma (Facial Gangrene) Survivors in Ethiopia

Background: Noma is a gangrenous disease that primarily affects young children in extremely poor regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Noma has one of the highest mortality rates, estimated at 90%. Noma begins in the oral cavity and it spreads rapidly and destroys bone, muscle, and skin in the orofacial anatomy. The full onset of Noma is preventable and inexpensive to treat at its early stage. However, a significant number of Noma cases do not receive treatment until it is either too late to save their face or, more commonly, their life. With the recommendation to further investigate the beliefs and perceptions of Noma patients to understand their behavior in seeking medical care, the focus in this situation should remain on understanding the underlying causes. This study examined the main reasons Noma survivors initially had for delaying medical care and that eventually motivated them to seek it. Methods: To achieve the objective of the study, a structured and scheduled qualitative interview was used. A total of 46 Noma cases from different geographic areas in Ethiopia were interviewed in March 2023 to describe the main factors that prevent them from seeking timely medical care and ultimately lead them to seek it. The study participants were asked to indicate their main reason for not seeking medical care soon enough. Then they were asked why they finally decided to pursue medical care.