- Dr Tambani said the disease was widely associated with witchcraft or demonic attacks, which he disputed as myths.
- KAWE chief executive Patrick Ingechi said there was need for sensitisation in institutions such as schools and prisons, and among healthcare workers.
The Kenya Association for the Welfare of People with Epilepsy has expressed concern that most epileptic patients cannot afford medication.
Clinical officer and specialist Brian Tambani said about five per cent of Kenyans suffer from epilepsy but only 20 per cent of the patients can afford medication.
He spoke at Korinda Prison in Busia when he joined the 690 inmates during Idd ul Adha celebrations.
He had led a team to offer training on how to take care of people living with epilepsy.
Dr Tambani said the disease was widely associated with witchcraft or demonic attacks, which he disputed as myths.
He urged citizens to speak out and seek medication as epilepsy is treatable.
“Epilepsy is not a demonic disease as society has put it. Epilepsy is a common condition that affects the brain and causes frequent seizures,” Tambani said.
“In epilepsy, the electrical signals in the brain become scrambled and there are sometimes sudden bursts of electrical activity. This is what causes seizures.”
There is a high possibility that epilepsy is partly caused by genes affecting how the brain works, as around one in three people with epilepsy have a family member suffering from it.
Other causes may include damage to the brain as a result of stroke, a brain tumour, severe head injury, drug abuse or alcohol misuse, brain infection and lack of oxygen during birth.
However, despite the considerable burden of the disease in Africa, patient care and support are inadequate.
“The challenges associated with epilepsy management in Kenya include limited access to diagnostic tools and treatments, inadequate care coordination, and a lack of disease awareness and stigma from society,” Tambani said.
KAWE chief executive Patrick Ingechi said there was need for sensitisation in institutions such as schools and prisons, and among healthcare workers who interact with the patients daily.
He said the burden of the disease is exacerbated by the high incidence of acquired causes and the large treatment gap that has forced parents to hide patients from the public.
“Children with epilepsy who reside in the African continent are faced with some of the greatest challenges of receiving adequate care as most countries lack skilled personnel to manage the disease shifting the disease to psychiatric services, thus potentially compounding the stigma associated with the condition,” Ingechi said.
In Kenya, little data exist that can help assess the true proportion of comorbidities suffered by children with epilepsy. This has left room for high assumptions, further aggravating delayed interventions and procurement of antiepileptic drugs, he said.
Grace Mudambo, the coordinator of communicable diseases in Busia county, urged the community to embrace patients living with epilepsy.
She said the county remains committed to ensuring sensitisation is done to dispel the myths that lead to stigma in society.
“We will try to educate the public through CHVs on the stigma associated with epilepsy, which often arises from the cultural beliefs about the cause of epilepsy. In many societies, epilepsy is not thought to be a biomedical illness affecting the brain but is thought to be caused by spiritual beliefs and sometimes contagious,” Mudambo said.
Busia Prison commander Omondi Adero applauded the organisation for celebrating with inmates as it helped reduce their stress and gave them hope of a second chance in society.