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Background Epilepsy is still very prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in remote, poverty-confronted onchocerciasis-endemic villages. It constitutes a significant burden for the families and communities. However, the financial costs of managing persons with epilepsy (PWE) have not been assessed in these settings. Proper cost analyses will facilitate future health interventions. Methods In November 2017, persons with epilepsy (PWE) and their caretakers were recruited at health centres of the Logo health zone in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A pre-tested questionnaire was administered to collect information on both direct and indirect costs of epilepsy, as well as household income of participants. Findings The weighted mean cost of epilepsy was 241.2 USD per PWE per year (50.2% direct cost, 49.8% indirect cost). Epilepsy-related expenses represented 46.5% of the mean household income. Traditional medicine accounted for 68.2% of the direct cost. An estimated cumulative cost of 1929.6 USD attributable to epilepsy had been incurred by the populations of the Logo health zone for each PWE in the community. Interpretation Almost half of the household revenue was spent on epilepsy care. Expenses on traditional medicine must be discouraged via education and regular provision of affordable anti-epileptic drugs. Prevention of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy using optimal control measures will avert additional epilepsy-related costs on the community. Early diagnosis and proper management of epilepsy would be economically beneficial in the study villages.

Background A high prevalence of epilepsy has been observed in many onchocerciasis endemic regions. This study is to estimate the prevalence of active epilepsy and exposure to Onchocerca volvulus infection in a rural population in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods In August 2016, a community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in an onchocerciasis endemic area in the rural health zone of Logo, Ituri Province. Households within two neighbouring health areas were randomly sampled. To identify persons with epilepsy, a three-stage approach was used. In the first stage, all individuals of the selected households were screened for epilepsy by non-medical field workers using a validated 5-item questionnaire. In the second and third stage, suspected cases of epilepsy were examined by non-specialist medical doctors, and by a neurologist, respectively. A case of epilepsy was defined according to the 2014 International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) guidelines. Exposure to O. volvulus was assessed by testing for IgG4 antibodies to an O. volvulus antigen (OV16 Rapid Test,) in individuals aged 3 years and older. Results Out of 1389 participants included in the survey, 64 were considered to have active epilepsy (prevalence 4.6%) (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.6–5.8). The highest age-specific epilepsy prevalence estimate was observed in those aged 20 to 29 years (8.2%). Median age of epilepsy onset was 10 years, with a peak incidence of epilepsy in the 10 to 15 year-old age group. OV16 test results were available for 912 participants, of whom 30.5% (95% CI, 27.6–33.6) tested positive. The prevalence of OV16 positivity in a village ranged from 8.6 to 68.0%. After adjusting for age, gender and ivermectin use, a significant association between exposure to onchocerciasis and epilepsy was observed (adjusted odds ratio = 3.19, 95% CI: 1.63–5.64) (P

Background: A recent study in the Logo and Rethy health zones in the Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reported that the majority of the persons with epilepsy (PWE) had not been treated with anti-epileptic medication (AEM) or had stopped treatment. Prior to the implementation of an epilepsy treatment programme in these health zones, this study investigated the perceptions and experiences regarding epilepsy and its treatment amongst community leaders, PWE and/or their families, traditional healers and health professionals. Methods: A total of 14 focus group discussions (FGD) and 39 semi-structured interviews (SSI) were conducted with PWE and/or their family members, community leaders, traditional healers, and health professionals in the Logo and Rethy health zones during February 2-19, 2017. Results: In the two health zones, the clinical signs of convulsive epilepsy were recognized by community members. However, a variety of misconceptions about epilepsy were identified including the beliefs that epilepsy is a family-related condition, a contagious disease, is transmitted by insects, saliva or by touching a person of the same sex during seizures, or is caused by evil spirits and witchcraft. The role of traditional healers in spreading these beliefs was revealed. The study also reported sexual abuse on PWE, stigmatisation of PWE and loss of productivity of PWE and their families. Some PWE had been using AEM and traditional treatment but were not convinced about the efficacy of these treatment options. The lack of training of health providers about epilepsy care, financial barriers in obtaining AEM, and the shortage of AEM at primary health facilities were revealed. As remedies, the community requested access to a decentralized center for epilepsy treatment. They also proposed using churches and community health workers as communication channels for information about epilepsy. Conclusions: Clinical signs of convulsive epilepsy were recognized by the community in the Logo and Rethy health zones but many misconceptions about epilepsy were identified. A comprehensive community-based epilepsy treatment programme with an affordable uninterrupted AEM supply needs to be established. Such a programme should address stigma, misconceptions, sexual abuse and foster the rehabilitation of PWE to alleviate poverty.

Background: A high prevalence of epilepsy has been observed in onchocerciasis endemic areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). With this study we aimed to investigate whether Onchocerca volvulus infection is a risk factor for developing epilepsy in onchocerciasis endemic regions in the DRC. Methods: Between October and December 2015, a multi-centre case control study was performed in onchocerciasis endemic health zones (HZ) in the DRC: one study site was situated in Tshopo Province in the HZ of Wanierukula (village of Salambongo) where there had been 13 annual community distributions of treatment with ivermectin (CDTI), a second was situated in Ituri Province in the HZ of Logo (village of Draju) where ivermectin had never been distributed and in the HZ of Rethy (village of Rassia) where there had been THREE CDTI annual campaigns before the study. Individuals with unprovoked convulsive epilepsy of unknown etiology were enrolled as cases (n = 175). Randomly selected healthy members of families without epilepsy cases from the same village and age-groups and were recruited as controls (n = 170). Results: Onchocerciasis associated symptoms (e.g., itching and abnormal skin) were more often present in cases compared to controls (respectively, OR = 2.63, 95% CI: 1.63-4.23, P

Multilingual abstracts in the five official working languages of the United Nations. (PDF 336 kb)

Multilingual abstracts in the five official working languages of the United Nations. (PDF 336 kb)