Noma is most prevalent along the so-called African noma belt, which stretches across the Sahara from Senegal to Ethiopia. But cases have also been identified in Asia and more recently in Europe and the United States in patients with poor immune systems.

The disease was first reported by Hippocrates in 5th century BC. The first medical description of noma was in 1595, when it was called ‘water canker’. In Europe, cases were also reported in concentration camps during World War II.