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Read MoreEpilepsy in Sierra Leone Handbook
Epilepsy in Sierra Leone Handbook attempt to introduce the issues of epilepsy to health workers of all grades as well as members of the public and parents of persons with epilepsy who are interested in epilepsy. The aim is to demystify this contentious condition and give readers the basic knowledge to understand people with epilepsy and to propagate this knowledge in the health community as well as the community at large in order to reduce the widespread misconception about epilepsy. Readers must get this handbook as a reference book and may contact us via email or helpline: – +23288555333 for more...
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Read MoreAdverse Effects
People suffering from epilepsy in Sierra Leone face many challenging problems. The most tragic are burns often seen in women who usually cook in open fires and sustain severe burns if attacks occurs while cooking. In our sensitization activities we emphasize the importance of women with epilepsy avoid cooking in open fire of even cooking at all but the realities are such that this cannot be avoided in most cases. We then encourage them to place the fire at a height so if they fall they would not fall in the fire. Drowning accidents also occur as in many communities water is obtained from the river or stream and drowning even in shallow waters happen as the victim is denied help if in difficulties. We have also seen patients presenting with dislocated shoulder joints as a result of their attacks. Burnt Shoulder and Face Dislocated Shoulder Burnt Leg Burnt...
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Read MoreEpilepsy Clinics
Even when people with epilepsy decide to seek medical treatment they face an uphill task. Firstly there are insufficient clinics in the country to cater for their needs. At the present time there are three clinics in the Western Area, one clinic each in Bo, Pujehun and Bonthe in the Southern Province, one in Kailahun in the Eastern Province and one in Makeni in the Northern Province. In addition there are more than a dozen outreach clinics in every district in the country. However these clinics are largely in the capital towns and cities. The outreach clinics are held monthly by a team of Community Health Officers from the Epilepsy Association of Sierra Leone that travels to the district clinics on a fixed date. Medication is provided in these clinics at minimal cost with exceptions to under-five children and pregnant mothers who get their medication free. People may have to travel long distances on bad roads to access these clinics often at significant costs. At the Clinic Bo Clinic Receiving advice Bo...
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Read MoreSensitization Activities
A lot of attention is placed on education in our quest to reduce the effects of epilepsy on the individual and community. Sensitization is therefore aimed at these two target groups. The community may either support or alienate people with epilepsy depending on their beliefs and attitudes with respect to the condition. There are many who believe that epilepsy is contagious and patients must not be touched even when having an attack. Over 50% of people also believe that epilepsy is due to demons or witchcraft that can only be addressed by traditional means. EASL therefore spend a lot of time and resource trying to dispel these beliefs. Posters, radio jingles, radio discussion programs, village community meetings and talks to schools, churches, mosques are regularly carried out. Every district has an Epilepsy Support Worker who is a social worker and has the task of talking to the community through schools, religious meetings etc and to get people with epilepsy to clinics. For the patient with epilepsy, education is geared towards helping them to maximize the benefits of treatment. They are advised to take their medication regularly, to attend clinics, not to suddenly stop medications, to avoid alcohol and to sleep well. They are also made aware of side effects of medication such as skin rash, swelling of the gums, drowsiness etc. Once a year special activities to mark Purple Day (the day now internationally recognized as world epilepsy day) are organized. In 2013 children were taken on a picnic to Bureh Beach. The purpose of this trip was to debunk the myths of demons inhabiting the beach and prevent people with epilepsy from participating in social activities in the beach area. At the same time increasing recognition of epilepsy within the local communities as this will in turn increase access to clinical treatment as opposed to the harmful traditional practices. Click here to read more and view pictures relating to the Burreh Beach trip. Purple Day Sensitization at...
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Read MoreCauses of Epilepsy
In Sierra Leone, epilepsy starts at an early age with the mean age of onset being 12 years. Many of the cases are due to birth injuries, infections in childhood particularly cerebral malaria and meningitis, febrile convulsions and trauma. As a result of the Civil war in Sierra Leone which ended in 1992, we see many cases of head injuries resulting from gun shots, shrapnel damage and machete assaults. Road traffic accidents are also common, many associated with traumatic brain injuries. Middle aged and older patients presenting with epilepsy are relatively uncommon but strokes are perhaps the leading cause in this age group. With poor investigative facilities, the majority of patients seen cannot be adequately investigated hence the cause of their epilepsy remain undiagnosed. Stroke Neurofibromatosis Falling down...
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Read MoreTraditional Beliefs
In Sierra Leone, the causes of epilepsy are misunderstood to be demonic, witchcraft or atonement for sins committed by one’s forefathers; it is further believed that people are possessed by supernatural forces which rendered them unable to control their bodily functions and that the condition is transferable through bodily contact of sputum that comes out of a person’s mouth during seizures. Over half of the Sierra Leonean population have the belief that Epilepsy is due to witchcraft or demons or both and two-third have tried traditional healing while a quarter seek faith healing. The condition is called by different names in Sierra Leone depending on the tribal origin. The Creoles call it ‘fix’, Temne call it ‘katuk’, Mende call it ‘Kpogboni’. Because the perception of witchcraft and demons as a cause of Epilepsy is common among Sierra Leoneans, the treatment is never thought to be scientific but a job for Traditional Healers who employ herbal remedies, rituals, spiritual curse or combinations of all these. Some methods used to cure epilepsy can result in long-term health complications. Example: Scarification of their bodies using unsterilized sharp piercing instruments may lead to infections including tetanus....
Epilepsy in Sierra Leone
The Epilepsy Association of Sierra Leone is a local Nongovernment Organization (NGO) that was established on the 3rd of December 1999 by persons with epilepsy, families and sierra Leonean with passion for people with epilepsy. EASL is registered with the Sierra Leone’s ministry of social welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs in the year 2000, with the Sierra Leone Union on Disabilities Issues (SLUDI) on the 27th of february2001 and with the international Bureau for epilepsy (IBE) on the 31st of August 2005. Recent From News & Events
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Adverse Effects
People suffering from epilepsy in Sierra Leone face many challenging problems. The most tragic are burns often seen in women who usually cook in open fires and sustain severe burns if attacks occurs while cooking. In our sensitization activities we emphasize the importance of women with epilepsy avoid cooking in open fire of even cooking at all but the realities are such that this cannot be avoided in most cases. We then encourage them to place the fire at...
Read More
Epilepsy Clinics
Even when people with epilepsy decide to seek medical treatment they face an uphill task. Firstly there are insufficient clinics in the country to cater for their needs. At the present time there are three clinics in the Western Area, one clinic each in Bo, Pujehun and Bonthe in the Southern Province, one in Kailahun in the Eastern Province and one in Makeni in the Northern Province. In addition there are more than a dozen outreach clinics in every...
Read More
Sensitization Activities
A lot of attention is placed on education in our quest to reduce the effects of epilepsy on the individual and community. Sensitization is therefore aimed at these two target groups. The community may either support or alienate people with epilepsy depending on their beliefs and attitudes with respect to the condition. There are many who believe that epilepsy is contagious and patients must not be touched even when having an attack. Over 50% of people also believe that epilepsy...
Read More
Causes of Epilepsy
In Sierra Leone, epilepsy starts at an early age with the mean age of onset being 12 years. Many of the cases are due to birth injuries, infections in childhood particularly cerebral malaria and meningitis, febrile convulsions and trauma. As a result of the Civil war in Sierra Leone which ended in 1992, we see many cases of head injuries resulting from gun shots, shrapnel damage and machete assaults. Road traffic accidents are also common, many associated with traumatic...
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