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 4^th 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 4^th AEC pre-congress in Kampala, Uganda- August 2019.
4. Conduct a joint IBRO/ ILAE-Africa Anglophone teaching course at the 4^th 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”.