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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Ope Adetayo and Tunde Omolehin

Free operations give hope to children with a neglected but deadly disease in Africa

Nigeria Noma Disease - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Ibrahim Dalhatu was just 3 years old when he contracted noma, a severe disease that disfigures the face and kills most of the children it infects.

He had his first facial reconstructive surgery in 2021 at the Noma Children Hospital in Nigeria's Sokoto state. Since then, Ibrahim, now 8, has had six operations to help him recover.

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