This January 26, 2024 is one of the three days dedicated to leprosy patients. This chronic infection which affects the skin and nerves is the subject of many preconceived ideas. Armel Koudou, infected when he was a child, spoke to Quelle Docteur to put an end to the ignorance and taboos concerning this pathology.
- While he was in CE2, Armel Koudou saw reddish spots appear on his body. He later discovered from his uncle that it was leprosy.
- He was taken care of by the Raoul Follereau Institute in Adzopé, a center specializing in the treatment of leprosy, in 1995. In addition to treatment taken for 6 months, he underwent 4 operations for certain deformities created by the disease.
- Now cured and a happy father, he works to raise awareness about leprosy and to reduce the stigmatization of patients.
In the collective imagination, leprosy is a disease of the Middle Ages. However, this chronic infection, which mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves, mucous membranes of the upper airways and eyes, is still circulating, with more than 200,000 new cases each year. Thus, a person is diagnosed every 3 minutes in 145 countries. If left untreated, it can lead to serious skin damage or nerve damage causing physical disabilities or deformities.
For Ivorian Armel Koudou, leprosy appeared in his life through reddish spots on his skin in the early 1990s when he was in CE2.
Leprosy diagnosis: “it scared me”
At first, the young boy and his parents thought that these patches were simple scabs (small skin flakes). “My mother went to the Divo market where we lived to buy ointments. She applied them to the spots, but they didn’t bring any change. It even got worse.”remembers Armel Koudou.
“When I touched these spots, it felt like it wasn’t a part of me, because I couldn’t feel anything. It’s like the area was numb. I could take a needle and prick and not feel anything. no pain. It was really hard to have a part of my body that wasn’t mine anymore.”
It was his maternal uncle, a schoolteacher visiting the family, who managed to identify what Armel was suffering from. “Being a teacher, he immediately understood that these were leprosy symptoms. He advised us to go quickly to a specialized center. We left the next day. It was within this establishment that the disease began. been diagnosed.”
Then aged around twelve, Armel admits to having been frightened by the diagnosis. “It scared me, because I had seen leprosy patients on the roadsides in my country. Most of them were beggars”recalls the forty-year-old. “When I was told that I had this disease, my heart hurt very much. I immediately imagined someone who would no longer have their fingers, their toes, who would perhaps be amputee.”
However, the health professionals he met managed to reassure him. “When I was diagnosed, the doctor clearly explained to my parents and me that if I was taken care of, the leprosy would be stopped and that I would not be able to contaminate those around me.” He was directed to theRaoul Follereau Institute of Adzopé, a center specializing in the treatment of this disease. His care began in January 1995. He received treatment for 6 months. “Aside from that, I underwent 4 surgical interventions spread between 1995 and 2000 to correct certain deformities created by leprosy in the hands or feet.”
“I not only had to go to school but at the same time take care of myself”
Although this treatment was necessary to overcome the infection and limit its impact on the body, it seriously disrupted his schooling. “Not only did I have to go to school and at the same time get treatment, remembers Armel. I had a checkered school career, especially in middle school. I didn’t often finish my school years.” Furthermore, due to the many patients waiting for an operation, the intervention could not always take place before returning to school. “Sometimes the doctor had to tell me ‘another time’ and let me go with just medication. It wasn’t easy.”
During this particularly difficult period, Armel was able to count on his family. “My mother, my father, my brothers and my sisters surrounded me with their love. They did not reject me. They were with me: they told me: it’s just an illness, there can be have complications, but you’re going to get treatment and it’s going to pass, you’re going to find yourself again.” Unfortunately, driven by fear and lack of information, neighbors have not shown the same support. “When they learned about the illness I was suffering from, they rejected me. They even asked their children not to play with me anymore, not to come near me for fear that they would be contaminated.”
Leprosy: “I allowed the diagnosis of 3 of my students”
But illness, pain and ignorance did not stop Armel. He studied at all costs to achieve his dream: to become a teacher. “I said to myself: with this illness, if I don’t succeed in my studies, what will I be able to do? Frankly, it wasn’t easy, but I had to have morale of steel and rush to achieve my goal.”
And his efforts paid off. Armel became a teacher in 2004. And like his uncle, he – in turn – helped children. “Through my knowledge of the disease, I allowed the diagnosis of three of my students. I was able to identify leprosy spots, warn parents and encourage them to seek treatment. Today, the children are cured. The earlier the disease is caught, the fewer complications and after-effects there are.”rejoices the teacher.
Neglected tropical diseases: “I am a happy father”
Now cured, happy husband and father of 5 children, Armel continues the fight against leprosy for others. He joined the Ivorian Association of Former NTD Patients (Neglected Tropical Diseases) to help put an end to the preconceived ideas that accompany the infection. “At home, when you suffer from leprosy, you are stigmatized. There is mockery and ridicule. You are rejected by society. We others – former patients who went through it and had the grace to get through it – we decided to raise awareness in order to change mentalities.” The organization plans to launch a campaign against leprosy across Ivory Coast after the African Cup of Nations football which is being held on Ivorian soil until February 11.
“Often, it is the lack of information that leads people to say anything. When you are informed, there is no more fear”estimates the volunteer.
Armel has retained some small deformations in his hands which are sometimes a source of questions for the people he meets. But he doesn’t let it get to him and reminds us that he is a human being just like everyone else. “I had leprosy. But that didn’t stop me from moving forward: I went to school despite the illness, I have a job despite the illness, I have a wife and beautiful children whom I love despite the illness. I am a happy father of a family. Illness is not a handicap, nor an end in itself. Life is made up of challenges, you have to fight.”