Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Tanzania Epilepsy Association (TEA) has said that the risk of epilepsy patients losing their lives in the country has decreased from an average of six to four, citing educational efforts that have contributed significantly to reducing the impact.
Speaking in Dar es Salaam during the device campaign week that began on February 5, 2026 and the International Epilepsy Day on February 9, 2026, Neurologist, Dr Patience Njenje said they continue to educate the community about the disease to increase awareness of seeking treatment at the hospital.
“This decrease in the average is an effort by the Ministry of Health through community programs and professional organizations such as TEA, non-governmental organizations, Parents of Children with Epilepsy in Tanzania (POCET), and others in raising awareness.
He said that a group of young people with an average age of 15 years and above are leading the way in getting epilepsy due to various reasons, including accidents.
Bodaboda accidents, in particular, have been cited as a source of young people getting epilepsy after injuring parts of the head (brain) and leaving scars that later affect them.
Citing statistics, he said that the number of people living with epilepsy is more than 60 million in the world, and there is an increase of 34 to 75 people for every 200,000 people per year.
He said that Africa has a high percentage of people living with epilepsy, which is 20 to 58 people for every 1,000 people.
Dr Njenje explained that Tanzania is one of the countries with the highest number of patients in Africa; for example, villages in Mahenge District have a high number of up to 37 out of 1000 people, and has more than one million people who suffer from epilepsy.
“More than 60 per cent of deaths are caused by the direct effects of the disease, and more than 25 per cent of epilepsy patients have disabilities caused by falls when the patient has a seizure.
He noted that more than 36 percent of the community still believes epilepsy is caused by dark forces, and 50 percent believe it is contagious, while 45 percent of school-age children are not sent to school, and 68 percent of their attendance is not satisfactory.
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“These children with epilepsy are discriminated against; they are not allowed to play with others, so they are hidden by society, and 75 percent of patients go to traditional healers, and others go to religious leaders.
He also said that after the patient is affected, only five to 10 per cent can get treatment in the hospital, so they are late in getting treatment.
“Other causes of epilepsy are severe fever during childhood, pork worms, especially in those who eat pork without cooking it properly, shark bites, brain swelling and immune deficiency.
Dr Njenje said that if the patient experiences an epileptic seizure, he should not be held when he is shaking and should not have anything put in his mouth.
“He should lie on his left side after he stops shaking and be admitted to a safe place, and most importantly, he should not climb trees, ride a motorcycle, swim, or drive.
He has urged society to stop stigmatizing people with epilepsy because everyone is a potential patient, and anyone can get the disease.
