Aren’t you supposed to call it Hansen
’s disease?
- People here don’t have an issue with calling it leprosy. The word in French is similar, and we partner with The Leprosy Mission. Calling it leprosy makes it very clear what we are talking about.
Do you only treat people with leprosy?
- No, CSL is a general health clinic with 70 in-patient beds, a pharmacy, a physical therapy department, an ophthalmology clinic, a daily out-patient clinic, and a maternal/child clinic. We do treat people with leprosy, and from that has grown specialties in wound care and rehabilitation for those with mobility issues.
What diseases do you commonly see and
treat?
- Malaria, skin diseases, eye conditions, and diseases caused by intestinal parasites top the list. High blood pressure, diabetes, injuries from motor vehicle accidents, burns also are commonly treated.
How contagious is leprosy?
- Leprosy is not very contagious, and shortly after a person begins treatment, he or she is no longer a threat to anyone. People who work here are not in any greater danger than anyone else in this country.
How many leprosy patients are there?
- We treat approximately 225 leprosy patients a year. Niger governmental authorities estimate that Niger sees 375 new cases of leprosy a year and we treat around 50 new cases a year.
How do patients pay for their care?
- The Leprosy Mission (TLM) covers most of the costs for leprosy patients. All other patients pay for their own care. CSL supporters can contribute to the CSL Benevolence Fund which covers the costs for extremely poor patients.
What are your seasons like?
- Hot and hotter! In July-September and sometimes a little on each side of these months we have rainy season, where it rains once or twice a week if the rains are good. Temperatures range from 78-95 degrees F or 25-35 degrees C. We have a hot spike in October, and then temperatures moderate and humidity drops in November-February. This is most Westerners’ favorite time of year, “Cold Season”, where lows and highs are about 58-85 F/ 14-30 C. We also get heavy dust during this time. “Hot Season” is from March till the rains start in May or June, where daily highs exceed 115 F /46 C and lows may not drop below 90F /32 C.
What do you eat?
- We eat generally the same sorts of things we do in our home countries, but we eat a lot less cheese, less meat and fish, less variety in fruits and vegetables, and a lot more rice and pasta. We find that it is easier to cook foods in a quasi-Asian style, like curries and stir fries. We avoid long cooking times (heats up the house) and grilling meat (it’s too tough).
What does poverty look like?
- This is a very complicated question. Malnutrition, a very poor educational system, low literacy rates, poor quality items for sale, a lack of medical facilities outside of large population centers, and isolation from helpful knowledge are all symptoms of poverty. When people have almost no money, they will put off medical treatment as long as possible, hoping the person will get well on their own. They will also seek cheaper traditional cures. For this double reason, many of the patients we see are far sicker than they would have been if they had come in earlier, and for some, sadly, it is too late.