TANZANIA is among countries with villages reporting some of the highest epilepsy prevalence rates, reaching up to 37.5 per 1,000 population, with 73–111 new cases per 100,000 people added each year, an annual gathering has been told.

Dr Patience Njenje, a city neurologist and neurosurgeon running a consulting clinic and leader of the Tanzania Epilepsy Association (TEA), made this observation in a media briefing   on Dar es Salaam yesterday ahead of the International Epilepsy Day marked globally on February 9.

The annual event is accompanied by public education initiatives and various health campaigns reflecting the fact that there has been a declining trend in some areas the treatment and diagnostic gap currently stands at around 50 percent of villages countrywide, she said.

TEA dedicated February 2 to 9 to raising awareness about epilepsy in the country, with a view to conduct an epilepsy conference next Monday, where the association will play an active role in providing education and increasing public understanding of the condition, she stated.

To date, mortality among people with epilepsy remains four times higher than that of the general population, in which case greater emphasis is needed on training and supervision of primary and community-level health workers to improve the prevention and early detection of epilepsy, she explained.

A programme undertaken from 2019 to 2021 focused on maternal health in Ulanga District,  Morogoro Region, increased antenatal care attendance to 96 percent and safe deliveries in health facilities to 94 percent, up from 60 percent home deliveries before the programme began, she asserted.

Despite decades of health education, many Tanzanians still believe epilepsy is caused by supernatural forces such as witchcraft, evil spirits or family curses, as about 50 percent of the population understand epilepsy symptoms as contagious, leading to severe psychosocial stigma and discrimination.

A total of 55 percent of school-age children with epilepsy are not enrolled in school due to stigma and discrimination while among those who attend school, 68 percent attend irregularly, with just 37 percent of them completing primary education.

More than 75 percent of people with epilepsy initially seek treatment from traditional healers or spiritual leaders because they believe seizures are caused by possession by evil spirits or other supernatural forces, the consultant noted.

Another major challenge is delayed access to modern healthcare, as around 60 percent of people with epilepsy reach a modern health facility on average one year after their first seizure. Of these, only five to ten percent receive regular and appropriate medication.

“Up to 67 percent of people with epilepsy of marriageable age are unmarried. Among the 33 percent who are married, divorce rates are significantly higher,” she remarked,

Up to 24 percent of people living with epilepsy have physical disabilities, either from the underlying causes of the condition or from seizure-related complications such as contractures, burns, scars or head injuries.

“TEA prepared a project to establish a rehabilitation and skills training centre in Mahenge. In the future, more facilities tailored to the needs of people with physical and learning disabilities—especially children with epilepsy—will be required,” she stated.

Gaps between the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy remain wide, with persistent misconceptions and stigma in the community significantly undermining efforts to combat the condition, the expert lamented

The majority of people living with epilepsy are young, with an average age of 15.4 years—a situation that has remained largely unchanged over the past six decades, she said, affirming that globally, epilepsy as a chronic brain disorder affects around 60 million people.

An estimated 34 to 76 new cases per 100,000 population are reported annually, reflecting prevalence rates of 0.5 to 1 percent globally, while the situation is far worse in Tanzania and many African countries,

In Tanzania, the lifetime risk of developing epilepsy stands at about two percent. Africa is among the regions with the highest prevalence, ranging from 20 to 58 per 1,000 people Research in Tanzania, past and present, indicates that close to one million people are living with epilepsy in the country, she added.