Epilepsy had to be a global health priority, according to Lancet editorial. An international team of researchers says that epilepsy is twice as common in low and middle-income countries, where about 85% of the cases occur. The death rate in developing countries is much higher than in developed ones, because more than 60% of sufferers in those countries receive no appropriate treatment.
Not a mental illness, epilepsy is a condition in which disturbances to the brain's normal electrical activity cause recurring seizures or brief episodes of altered consciousness. Unfortunately, adequate facilities for diagnosis, treatment and ongoing management are virtually non-existent in many of the world's poorest regions. Furthermore, many people with epilepsy or their families do not even know that it can be controlled with biomedical treatment. And, in some countries, traditional beliefs about the causes of the condition, including bewitchment, spiritual causes and curses, lead to stigma and increase the chance that a person with epilepsy will not get the treatment they need.
When I first read this report, I was sad for realizing that there are a lot of people in the world that doesn’t know what epilepsy is, if they have or not that condition, how it can be controlled and which treatment they need. I know there are a great number of people that probably have this condition, but they are treated like if they have other diseases. Unfortunately, some of them never will know that they have epilepsy and, worse than that, a lot of them will die without realize that they have this condition. Then, how can these people be treated properly if they do not even know they have this condition? This is impossible! Because of that, I agree that awareness campaigns to increase understanding about epilepsy and the access to treatment should be greatly improved in developing countries and included as a priority on the public health agenda, being treated more seriously for all governments.
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Reference
Epilepsy ‘is a global health problem’ (2012, September 27). BBC News Health. Retrieved September 28, 2012 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19746452
Your post remind me what I saw in TV advertisement for long time ago. In the ad,when someone fall on the floor and his or her body start stiffening and shaking, there are showed some correct and wrong first aid. It is not good to put some solid tools as spoons for preventing from biting his tongue himself. We should put some soft like clothes instead. I think it is really beneficial ad, but I rarely see any ad like that much.
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