Global Outreach

Download this report in .pdf format On 16 July 2021, ILAE and IBE hosted a virtual roundtable discussion with over 160 participants from 50 countries including representatives from Ministries of Health, Education and Employment to Inspire a Decade of Action guided by the Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders. Highlights and additional information are available below. Full recording of the roundtable, including the interventions by representatives from the Ministries of Health/Missions of Lesotho, Russia and Uruguay can be accessed at https://youtu.be/6hcD9jpMu08 Past, Present, Future – Action to Address Epilepsy Road to the Resolution and Action Plan Prof Alla Guekht, ILAE Vice President Prof Guekht gave a presentation on the progress and major milestones since the launch of the Global Campaign in 1997. Watch her presentation and learn more about the 2020 Resolution and the Out of Shadows campaign. Draft Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders Dr Tarun Dua, Head Brain Health Unit, WHO Dr Dua provided an overview of the draft Global Action Plan and the process from now to the Executive Board in early 2022 and the World Health Assembly in May 2022. She invited contributions as part of the consultation ending [...]

PETITION FROM AFRICAN YOUTHS WITH EPILEPSY & THEIR FRIENDS TO: MINISTERS OF HEALTH & PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES OF HEALTH ACROSS AFRICA 20th October, 2020 Download the petition in English Download the petition in French Download the petition in Portuguese We the youths with epilepsy from Africa and our friends gathered here in a virtual meeting on the 20th of October, 2020 would like to send this petition to you Honorable Ministers of Health and Parliamentary Committees on Health, so that you can realize the need for you to support and endorse the World Health Assembly Resolution 68.20 on Global Action on Epilepsy and Its Synergies with Other Neurological Disorders during the 73rd World Health Assembly. Epilepsy is one of the major brain disorders thought to affect more than 10 millions Africans. Sometimes called a seizure disorder, epilepsy is a chronic medical condition produced by a temporary change in the electrical function of the brain, causing seizures which affect awareness, movement or sensation. The disorder affects people in all nations and of all races. Left untreated, like any other disease, it could impede the social development of the patient. Treatment for epilepsy is available, effective and cheap. Indeed, it is estimated that 70 [...]

Former President of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Banda, encourages people to support the World Health Assembly Resolution 68.20 on Global Action on Epilepsy and Its Synergies with Other Neurological Disorders during the 73rd World Health Assembly. The WHA68.20 resolution urges Member States to address the global burden of epilepsy and the need for coordinated action at the country level to address its health, social and public knowledge implications and requested WHO to provide technical support for epilepsy management, especially to countries with the lowest access to services and resources where the burden of epilepsy is greatest.

Epilepsy is a brain disease characterized by abnormal electrical activity causing seizures or unusual behaviour, sensations and sometimes loss of awareness. It carries neurological, cognitive, psychological and social consequences and accounts for a significant proportion of the world’s burden of disease. Despite availability of effective and low-cost anti-seizure medicines, more than 75% of people with epilepsy in low-income countries do not have access to treatment. This report is the product of a long-standing collaboration between WHO and leading nongovernmental organizations working in the area of epilepsy, the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE). Together we have made substantial progress in encouraging countries to prioritize epilepsy in public health agendas. Epilepsy: a public health imperative presents a comprehensive picture of the impact that the condition has on people with epilepsy, their families, communities and societies. Epilepsy has a high risk of disability, psychiatric comorbidity, social isolation and premature death. Across the world, people with epilepsy and their families suffer from stigma and discrimination. Many children with epilepsy do not go to school; adults are denied work, the right to drive or marriage. The human rights violations faced by people with epilepsy around the world are unacceptable. [...]

[Pictured from Left to Right] Athanasios Covanis - President IBE, Shekhar Saxena -WHO, Shichuo Li (China), Brooke Short - WHO, Ann Little, Executive Director IBE (Ireland),  Mary Secco, IBE (Canada), Tarun Dua - WHO,  Emilio Perucca - President ILAE,  Alla Guekht, ILAE (Russia) Tuesday 26, 2015, will be remembered as a historical date for all of us. On that date, the World Health Assembly approved the WHO Resolution on the Global Burden of Epilepsy (click to view resolution), which calls for Member States to: strengthen effective leadership and governance to address the specific needs of people with epilepsy, and make resources available as necessary to implement evidence-based plans and actions; introduce and implement national health care plans of action for epilepsy management, aiming to overcome inequalities and inequities in health, social and other related services; integrate epilepsy management into primary health care where appropriate to reduce the treatment gap, by training non-specialist health care providers and by empowering people with epilepsy and their carers for greater use of specified self and home care programmes; improve accessibility to and promote affordability of safe, effective and quality-assured antiepileptic medicines; ensure public awareness of and education about epilepsy, in particular in primary and secondary schools, [...]