|
Jerome Engel, Jr |
Commission Members
Hanneke de Boer (Co-chair)
Heemstede, The Netherlands
Jerome Engel, Jr. (Co-chair)
California, USA
Leonid Prilipko
Geneva, Switzerland
Aims
The Global Campaign against Epilepsy is a joint project
among the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), the
International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE), and the World Health
Organisation (WHO). All three organisations provide substantial
financial support for campaign activities. It is managed
by the Campaign Secretariat. The Global Campaign against
Epilepsy was organized to bring epilepsy “out of the
shadows,” and assists governments worldwide to ensure
improvement in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and social
acceptability of epilepsy.
Achievements prior to July 2003
The Global Campaign has been working since 1997 to raise
general awareness and understanding of epilepsy, and to support
departments of health in identifying needs and promoting
education, training, treatment, services, research, and prevention
in their countries. Specific projects include:
- the creation of regional declarations on epilepsy in
each of the WHO regions, to produce infor mation on epilepsy
for policymakers, incorporate epilepsy care into national
health plans, facilitate the establishment of national
organizations of professionals and lay persons who are
dedicated to promoting the well-being of people with
epilepsy, and generate more detailed regional reports;
and
- the organisation of demonstration projects that illustrate
effective practice in the provision of epilepsy care,
particularly in an effort to reduce the treatment gap for
people with epilepsy in countries with emerging economies.
Commission Activities July 31, 2003 to June 30, 2004
A Global Campaign strategic planning meeting was held in
Basel, Switzerland, in February 2003. During the past year,
in addition to several technical consultative meetings, and
meetings with regional advisors, there were Global Campaign
conferences in Cairo, Egypt; Moscow, Russia; and Troina,
Italy; and Global Campaign sessions at numerous other meetings
and congresses. The demonstration project in China is almost
completed; projects are underway in
Senegal, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Brazil, and Pakistan, and have
been proposed in Georgia, Kenya, and
on the Navajo Indian reservation in the U.S. Questionnaires
on country resources have been
distributed in preparation for an Atlas on Country Resources
for Epilepsy, intended for publication by August 2005. A
grant has been obtained from the U.S. National Institutes
of Health to carry out a study on reducing stigma of epilepsy
in Vietnam and China, and major financial support has been
received from Sanofi-Synthelabo specifically for work in
Africa, and from EPICADEC for bottom-up projects in countries
with emerging economies.
Recent publications in peer-reviewed
journals include:
Aziz H. Country Example within the
Framework of the Campaign. Epilepsia 2003; 44, (Suppl 8):
25
Boer H.M. de. The African Commission and
its links with the ILAE/IBE/WHO Global
Campaign Against Epilepsy. Epilepsia 2003,
44, (Suppl 8): 33
Boer H.M. de. The Global Campaign
Against Epilepsy as a Model for Raising
Awareness. Epilepsia 2003, 44, (Suppl 8): 24
Boer H.M. de, Engel J. Jr., Prilipko L.L. The Global Campaign
at a glance: A Progress
Report. Epilepsia 2003; 44, (Suppl 8): 24
Diop A.G., Boer H.M. de, Mandlhate C.,
Prilipko L.L. The Global Campaign against
Epilepsy in Africa. Acta
Tropica 2003; 87:
149-59
Engel, J. Jr. Bringing epilepsy out of the
shadows. Neurology 2003; 60: 1412
Meinardi H. Demonstration Projects in Africa. Epilepsia 2003, Vol 44, (Suppl 8): 25
Ndoye N.F. Prevalence Rate and Treatment
Gap in the Pikine (Senegal) Demonstration
Project Site of the Global Campaign Against Epilepsy. Epilepsia 2003; 44, (Suppl 8):125
Pachlatko C. Twinning Partnership: Visible Benefits within
the Framework of the Global
Campaign. Epilepsia 2003; 44, (Suppl 8): 25
Pahl K. Regional Report on Epilepsy in Africa:
An awareness-raising tool. Epilepsia 2003;
44, (Suppl 8): 25
Sander J.W. Progress Report on the Demonstration Projects.
Epilepsia 2003, 44, (Suppl 8): 25
Sow A.D., Gueye C.S.K. Use of Various Methods to Increase
Awareness of Epilepsy at Pikine (Senegal) in the Context
of the Demonstration Project of the Global Campaign Against
Epilepsy. Epilepsia 2003; 44, (Suppl 8):195
Wang W.Z., Wu J.Z., Wang D.S., Dai X.Y., Yang B., Wang T.P.,
Yuan C.L., Scott R.A., Prilipko L.L., Boer H.M. de, Sander
J.W. The prevalence and treatment gap in epilepsy in China:
an ILAE/IBE/WHO study. Neurology 2003; 60: 1544-545
Upcoming Activities
Regional reports are being prepared for each of
the WHO regions. Fundraising activities, including
additional grant applications, are in progress. A strategic
planning meeting will be planned for 2005 to set
the goals and objectives for the next phase of the
Global Campaign.
Jerome Engel, Jr.
Co-chair |
