Epilepsy in Kenya

In Kenya, 2 out of 100 people have epilepsy, whereas in the Netherlands, 1 out of 150 people have epilepsy, this means that the chance of getting epilepsy is three times higher in Kenya than in the Netherlands. There are approximately 620,000 people living with epilepsy in Kenya. In Kibwezi District in which 1674 children under the age of 15 were screened, the epilepsy prevalence rate was found to be 10.2 per 1000.

Causes for lack of treatment
Less than ten percent of the people living with epilepsy receive the treatment they need because of the following reasons:

• Ignorance and lack of knowledge
• In Kenya, the management of acute and infectious diseases and health problems has usually been given higher priority than the management of chronic and non communicable diseases and medical conditions such as epilepsy under funding of the health sector, which has lead to lack of drugs in general and particularly anti-epileptic drugs
• Increased level of poverty. There are many people who are living below poverty line and health care is almost completely economically inaccessible for those people.  

Beliefs on epilepsy
Not only in Kenya, but also other African countries there are many people who think epilepsy is caused by bewitchment or possession by devils. In some cultures, the spirits are believed to be those of the ancestors. Many people think epilepsy is contagious or transmittable by physical contact with the person with epilepsy during an attack. Some even think that the condition can be transmitted while being in the neighbourhood of the person with epilepsy. It often happens, when people think epilepsy is contagious, that the person with epilepsy is banned out and when the person needs help during a fit, for example when the person falls in water or fire, people in the environment will not save her/him, because of the anxiety of being infected.