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Kathmandu Sunday July 08, 2001 Ashadh 24, 2058.
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Epilepsy rate higher in developing
countries
Post Report
KATHMANDU, July 7- Every hundred individuals out of 100,000
people in the developing countries have epilepsy, while the prevalence rate of the disease
in Nepal could be higher, health officials said Saturday.
Speaking at the programme on Update on Epilepsy 2001
organized by Siddhartha Hospital in collaboration with Apollo Group, India, various health
experts from Nepal and India said that the prevalence rate of epilepsy or seizures in the
developing countries is higher than in developed countries.
Presenting his video programme on Diagnosis and
Classification of Epileptic Seizures Dr Satish Jain of All India Institute of Medical
Science (AIIMS) who is also the recipient of International Epilepsy Award in May 2001 said
that the prevalence rate of epileptic disease could be higher in Nepal as has been the
case with India.
Dr Nandita Bajaj of Siddhartha Hospital who runs an epilepsy
clinic said that an estimated 60 percent of the cases who visited the clinic are children.
While officials at the Nepal Epilepsy Association maintain that around 60-70 percent of
the cases are from Kavre district alone, the most affected district in the country.
"Almost 80 percent of the convulsions can be effectively
controlled through treatment", she said adding that the chances for eliminating
"the disease of the brain" through surgery is likely after the completion of the
hospital at Balaju, Kathmandu.
Various experts on epilepsy presented their papers and video
show on the disease popularly known as "Chhare Rog" or "Mirgi" and
called for an increased awareness about the disease, particularly in the remote parts of
Nepal where it is mistaken for "Boxy" or for "Jungle deity."
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