ILAE-Africa

ILAE-Africa Goals for the 2017-2021 term:

  1. Promotion of Epilepsy Awareness.
  2. Improving Access to Epilepsy Care.
  3. Conduct training in epilepsy and strengthen the education activities of ILAE-Africa.
  4. Foster Epilepsy Research in the Region.
  5. Multiply ILAE membership in the region

Challenges to Epilepsy care in the ILAE-Africa region:

  1. Highest incidence and prevalence of active epilepsy compared to that of all other continents.
  2. High levels of stigma and low community awareness of epilepsy.
  3. Lack of basic infrastructure for adequate management.
  4. Large epilepsy treatment gap estimated at over 80%.
  5. Lack of established standardized treatment guidelines for epilepsy and weak referral systems.
  6. Limited human resource trained to take care of people with Epilepsy (PWE).
  7. Poor linkage between governments, regional and national epilepsy associations, and funding agencies in supporting epilepsy work.

Planned activities for the ILAE-Africa region in 2019:

  1. Conduct the 4th African Epilepsy Congress (AEC) in Kampala, Uganda, August 2019.
  2. Conduct a PET Lusophone teaching course, venue and dates TBD. Course materials have already been translated into Portuguese.
  3. Conduct a PET Anglophone teaching course at the 4th AEC pre-congress in Kampala, Uganda- August 2019.
  4. Conduct a joint IBRO/ ILAE-Africa Anglophone teaching course at the 4th AEC pre-congress in Kampala, Uganda- August 2019.
  5. To annually support participation of African trainees in Epilepsy distance learning courses (eg. VIREPA, San Servolo) by provision of bursaries.
  6. Organize regional epilepsy awareness raising campaigns-for English and French speaking countries.
  7. To establish the Epilepsy research needs on the continent.
  8. Foster South to South Epilepsy related research collaborations in the region.
  9. To increase on the number of countries joining the ILAE on the continent.
  10. To continue the the bi-annual production of the News E-Report “Epilepsy News Africa”.

Latest News

ILAE
About ILAE

Please complete new survey: medical treatment in childhood epilepsy

Please take a few minutes to complete the new survey and share it with your colleagues. The survey looks at current treatment practices in 6 typical early life epilepsy scenarios. Our aim is not only to show first and second line treatment preferences, but also to illustrate that we commonly use off-label drugs in childhood epilepsies.

9 September, 2020
Neurology, The most widely read and highly cited peer-reviewed neurology journal
Clinical Research

Prevalence of MRI abnormalities in people with epilepsy in rural China

More than one-third of people with chronic epilepsy in rural China have potentially epileptogenic lesions identifiable on brain MRI, with two-thirds fulfilling the definition of pharmacoresistance. These findings highlight the magnitude of the unmet needs for epilepsy surgery in China.

17 September, 2020
Brain - A Journal of Neurology
Clinical Research

Clinical and experimental insight into pathophysiology, comorbidity and therapy of absence seizures

This paper reviews recent evidence from human and experimental models of absence seizures and concludes that “Together, these novel clinical and experimental findings bring about paradigm-shifting views of our understanding of absence seizures and demand careful choice of initial monotherapy and continuous neuropsychiatric evaluation of affected children”

31 August, 2020
Neurology, The most widely read and highly cited peer-reviewed neurology journal
Clinical Research

Mortality in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures

Patients diagnosed with PNES have a SMR 2.5 times above the general population, dying at a rate comparable to those with drug-resistant epilepsy. This emphasizes the importance of prompt diagnosis, identification of risk factors, and implementation of appropriate strategies to prevent potential avoidable deaths.

24 August, 2020
Anthony Zimba
World News

In memory Anthony Mulenga Zimba

It is with great sadness that IBE announces the death of its esteemed Treasurer, Anthony Mulenga Zimba. A victim of COVID-19, Anthony passed away in hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, on the morning of Sunday 9th August. Anthony had a long history of service to IBE, He worked tirelessly on behalf of people with epilepsy and those who care for them. His particular focus was on his beloved Africa and, as a result of his efforts, many IBE chapters in the region were supported through the IBE Promising Strategies Program in a range of projects aimed at improving their quality of life through training, advocacy and employment opportunities.

11 August, 2020

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