Epilepsy in the WHO European region: fostering epilepsy care in Europe.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a database or retrieval system, or published, in any form or any way, electronically, mechanically, by print, photoprint, microfilm or any other means without prior written permission from the publisher. Foreword Epilepsy is responsible for high levels of suffering, affecting more than 50 million people worldwide, thus making it an important public health problem. In Europe 6.000.000 people are affected. Sufferers are of all ages, but epilepsy especially affects children, adolescents and the aged. Epilepsy is the clearest example of a neurological disorder for which effective, cost-effective treatment is available. Recent studies in both the developing and the developed world show that, if properly treated, up to 70% of people with this condition could live productive and fulfilling lives. Yet, in developing countries, up to 90% or more of people with this condition are excluded from care and consequently remain in the shadows of the so-called treatment gap. One reason for this exclusion is the social stigma attached to epilepsy. The stigma of epilepsy affects the education of children and young people and the employability of adults. The solutions to these problems are too complex to be solved by individual organizations. Therefore, the three leading international organizations working in epilepsy-the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE), and the World Health Organization (WHO)-have joined forces in the ILAE/IBE/WHO Global Campaign Against Epilepsy (GCAE) in order to bring epilepsy 'out of the shadows'. The Campaign aims to assist governments worldwide to ensure that the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and social acceptability of epilepsy are improved. The strategy has two parallel tracks: raising general awareness and understanding of epilepsy; and supporting national Ministries of Health to identify the needs and to promote education, research, training, prevention, treatment and care services. The Campaign has been officially launched, and activities are under way in over 70% of the countries of the European Region. The collaboration between IBE, ILAE and WHO has given the Campaign the opportunity to build a framework for concerted action on global, regional and national levels to raise awareness and diminish the treatment gap. The European activities show that partnerships between WHO and nongovernmental organizations are clearly the way forward for bringing epilepsy 'out of the shadows'. 5 Preface In Europe, at least 6 million people have epilepsy, and 15 million Europeans will have one …