Ahead of World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day on 30 January, Mulikat Okanlawon, one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in global health, is coming to Brighton from Nigeria to share her life changing journey as a survivor of noma. Mulikat’s inspiring story and that of others is captured in a compelling documentary Restoring Dignity which will be shown in a free screening at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) on 29 January.
Noma is a non-contagious gangrenous infection starting in the mouth and caused by multiple factors including extreme poverty, malnutrition and poor hygiene. In just two weeks, it can destroy the tissues of the face and is estimated to kill up to 90 percent of the people affected. Survivors are left with severe disfigurement causing pain, discomfort and stigma. Noma was officially listed by the World Health Organisation as a neglected tropical disease in 2023, thanks to the awareness raising efforts of advocates like Mulikat who not only survived noma, but went on to co-found Elysium, the first noma survivors’ association. Restoring Dignity tells her story and offers a glimpse into other survivors’ lives too, following their struggles and achievements over the course of a year.
The documentary screening will be followed by an in-person Q&A at BSMS, with Mulikat, Claire Jeantet, filmmaker, and Dr Mark Sherlock, Médecins Sans Frontières Health Programme Manager, Northwest Nigeria.
This event is a celebration of World Neglected Tropical Disease Day and is hosted by Dr Gem Aellah, an anthropologist at the BSMS Centre for Excellence in Global Health, whose work focuses on how polices related to neglected tropical diseases get made.
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For more information about noma, visit www.elysium-nsa.org, www.restoring-dignity.com and www.noma.msf.org.
This event is made possible because Mulikat and Claire are visiting the UK for a parliamentary reception for World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day 2025. We are grateful to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Malaria and NTDs and the UK Coalition Against NTDs for supporting this event.