IE News Magazine

    At the moment, the publication of International Epilepsy News is on hold as we review our current communications activities.

Welcome to a bumper issue of IE News! Running to 37 pages, the magazine is almost twice the size of a regular issue and is bursting with reports and articles of interest to all. We begin with the final President’s Letter, with Martin Brodie looking back on his four-year term of office. We celebrate the International Golden Light awards, with 19 worthy recipients due to receive their awards during the 34th International Epilepsy Congress. Eight of the awardees will also share their stories during one of the IBE Day sessions - you’ll find a link to register for this free event in the magazine. We also bring you an extremely interesting and important report on the epilepsy and pregnancy survey carried out in Europe in February. The information provided will now be used to inform a comprehensive toolkit being developed to address the knowledge gaps in this vital area. Another important report is provided by Mary Secco on the WHO Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders, which deserves careful consideration. And, as we draw close to the General Assembly, taking place on 3rd September, we introduce you to the newly elected members of the Regional Executive Committees. [...]

In this issue we include a very interesting report on photosensitive epilepsy, written by Dorothée Kasteleijn-Nolst, who has worked in the field of photosensitive epilepsy for more than 30 years. It’s a fascinating report and brings us up to date withthe latest developments in screens, computer games and even architectural trends. Almost 70 years ago, the flame symbol now used by a huge number of epilepsy associations, including IBE, was first introduced. The work of a well-known British cartoonist and illustrator, Haro Hodson, the story behind the design was first published in IE News about 20 years ago. To mark IBE’s 60th anniversary, we are publishing the story again in this issue. Next month, the 13th Asian & Oceanian Epilepsy Congress will take place as a virtual meeting. The programme includes a special IBE symposium and the presentation of the Asian & Oceanian Golden Light Awards. You can read more about arrangements for the congress, starting on page six. Water and epilepsy have never been good companions. So you may be surprised to read the Sailing for Epilepsy article in the magazine. Find out how Phil Haydon, a person with epilepsy, is sailing to raise awareness. You can also find an [...]

The cover of this issue shows a portrait photo of Francesca Sofia, who has been elected as IBE President 2021-2025. She becomes President-elect until the start of her term in late August. This is the first issue of 2021 and, while most of us still struggle with Covid-19 restrictions that affect our day to day lives and under which we have been living in one guise or another for the last year, work at IBE continues apace. In this issue of the magazine we feature news on an important new campaign on Epilepsy & Pregnancy and the urgent need to address the information gap that still exists in this area. The importance of making sure that all women of childbearing age are to be fully informed on the issues around epilepsy and pregnancy cannot be overstated. On different note, we congratulate the seven young people who have been selected to receive a Golden Light Award at the Latin American Epilepsy congress in late February. We also call for nominations for the International Golden Light awards, open to all IBE chapters. Also on the topic of awards, we share with you the names of those who have been selected to receive the [...]

The cover of this issue features a wonderful portrait photo of the late Anthony Zimba, IBE’s Treasurer, who sadly died from Covid-19 in early August. His obituary and an extract from an interview he did with Fraser Morton are published in this issue. The photo was taken by Eszter Papp in Bali in 2018. We were also saddened to hear that a former IBE Vice President, Vinod Saxena, had died from Covid-19 in July. His obituary is included in this issue. While we mourn these losses, it has been a busy time for IBE as you will see from the contents of this issue. The procedure to elect the President, Treasurer and Secretary General for the term 2021-2025 is now underway. The first election will be for the President position, which will end in early December. The other two elections will then follow. Two exciting new initiatives have been announced recently and you will find information on these in the pages of this issue. The IBE Teams programme will see the development of five Teams over the coming months, while the 50 Million Steps for Epilepsy initiative, for International Epilepsy Day 2021, will provide the opportunity for IBE chapters and all [...]

You are probably wondering what the cover image signifies? I once had a screen saver that showed daylight hours slowly cross a map of the world. As the day progressed, I could see when it was bedtime in Asia while in America it was time to start the day. That image of daylight returning in Asia while the Americas are still facing hours of darkness, now transfers itself, in my mind, to the westward course that Covid-19 is traveling. The east is slowly returning to a new day, while further west darkness still holds the grip with continued high numbers of deaths. In addition, the latest news from China raises the fear that the screen saver is starting again on a never-ending circuit. Let us hope that this does not turn out to be the case. As the world continues to rotate, IBE chapters are still working despite the challenges now faced by most of us. So, this issue of IE News includes reports from chapters on initiatives that have been undertaken in response to Covid-19 or which have had to be adjusted to deal with lockdown restrictions. We also have a special report on the psychological perspectives of Covid-19 with [...]

The last few months have seen the world and how we live in it change beyond our wildest nightmares. None of us could have imagined how so many of us would have to change how we live our lives because of a virus that has brought such misery to almost every country in the world. The IBE website has a new section that provides information on COVID-19 and epilepsy and you can find our more on page 4 of this issue. On a brighter note, we bring you information on how International Epilepsy Day 2020 was celebrated in early February - with almost 150 countries participating. Most of us could consider a steady hand as being essential for an artist - but not so for Niloofar from Iran. Find our more and see some of her work on page 14. Kenneth Ninying from our chapter in Cameroon reports on a very successful workshop for young people, funded by IBE. We hope that some of the recommendations will be taken on board by the community in Nseh village. IBE is very pleased to send it congratulations to Helen Cross, ILAE President-elect, who is making history as the first woman to be appointed [...]

The dust has yet to settle on International Epilepsy Day 2020 as I write this short message to you, dear readers. Yet, it is already clear that this has been the best year yet for this important calendar date. IBE and ILAE chapters, epilepsy self-help groups, bloggers, doctors, hospitals and clinics, and all stakeholders all got involved with a vast array of activities. We had the chance to see the Colosseum in Rome turn purple and spell out International Epilepsy Day and witness the roof of a skyscraper in London lit up with the International Epilepsy Day logo! And this is just the tip of the iceberg. In the next issue of IE News, we will bring you a gallery of some of the best photos from the day. But for the moment, we are concentrating on celebrating the results of the art competition. You can find the winning images on page 4 and we also feature one on the cover. Also in this issue is a short report on the WHO Executive Board meeting when epilepsy and the need for a Global Plan for Epilepsy was on the agenda. You will be hearing more on this over the coming weeks [...]

As we publish this issue of IE News, we come close to the end of another year at IBE. It is only on looking back that we can see how much has been achieved and how busy we have been since January 2019. In the last few issues we have brought you reports on International Epilepsy Day 2019, our Promising Strategies Program and our newest initiative, EpilepsyNEXT. There were congresses in Marrakech, Bangkok and Entebbe, with special programmes for people with epilepsy and their care providers, the Golden Light Awards and our General Assembly in Bangkok. In this issue of IE News we unveil the new epilepsy tartan, we report on the very successful Hear My Story workshop for young adults that took place in Dublin in October, there is a very interesting report on a visit to Eswatini made by members of the African Regional Committee, and we introduce you to three new applicant chapters. Of great significance is the inclusion of epilepsy on the agenda for the WHO Executive Board meeting next February and your help is sought on this. And we also give you a sneak preview of some of the activities planned for 2020. In the meantime, [...]