From the Inter Press News service, thanks to Global Health Now. Extracts below
Read in full: https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/03/epilepsy-patients-africa-fight-stigma-ne...
BENIN, Nigeria, Mar 19 2025 (IPS) - When Angela Asemota’s son began having seizures at six years old in 1996, people gossiped that he was possessed by evil spirits, leading her to seek healing from native healers and religious clerics. He underwent several traditional rituals and drank various concoctions, but the seizures persisted. It was not until his fourth year in secondary school in 2004 that she took him to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with epilepsy and began taking medication.
“For many years, I was going from pillar to post. I was ignorant about epilepsy and didn’t know it was a medical condition. The native healers and religious houses said my son was cursed. I believed the seizures were caused by witches, wizards, or demonic forces because of false beliefs and misconceptions,” Asemota, who lives in Benin City, Nigeria, told Inter Press Service...
People with epilepsy in Africa often face discrimination and rejection. Many children with the condition are denied access to schools, while adults struggle to find jobs because employers fear they may have seizures at work. Even within families, some epilepsy patients are isolated or treated unfairly, which can lead to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and in extreme cases, suicide...
“The stigma around epilepsy is worse than epilepsy itself. You are stigmatized by your family, relatives, in-laws, and friends because people don’t even believe it’s a medical condition. People call it a strange disease. Those who want to see you will look at you from afar, as if you are carrying epilepsy in your hands,” said Asemota, who now runs a non-profit, Angie Epilepsy Foundation, to battle epilepsy stigma and provide support for people living with the condition...
“Even policymakers need to understand what epilepsy is. Many of them still hold onto myths and misconceptions, and because of this, they may never consider policies that support people with epilepsy.”...
“Bridging the gap between traditional healers and medical professionals is essential to ensuring that people with epilepsy receive the best possible care. Traditional and faith healers need to be educated and trained on epilepsy and its causes so they can recognize when to refer patients for medical care,” ...
“A lot of people are no longer buying medication because they cannot afford it anymore. This drives them back to native healers. When you are in dire need, you are vulnerable. You go back to the native healers for help, which is dangerous. Medication is now expensive. Epilepsy has become a condition only the rich can manage,” she said.
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HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org