Epilepsy: Fainting sickness no bi witchcraft - Neurologist

Mirabel Betala say deh jealous e pikin, troway e epilepsy.

Ah bin lef ma pikin for ma sista for go fain work for get moni, but ma sista lef for back start high-up wit de pikin.

One day ma pikin hala, piss for e body, e tongue komot, e eyes turn, spit komot for e mop; na so dey troway epilepsy for ma pikin wen e bi only five years.

Ma pikin weh e don bi 22 now nearly suffocate e six moons baby wen e fall, lucki say ah bin bi for yi corna, Betala narrate de tori for BBC News Pidgin.

But, Neurologist, Prof. Elie Mbonda say, "epilepsy no bi witchcraft, deh no fit troway'am for some man".

Instead, Mbonda say epilepsy na some kana disorder for brain weh e di happen anyhow, again and again, e bi chronic but no fit komot from one man go for anoda, and deh di treat'am.

Research for 1990 bin show say epilepsy for some areas for Cameroon, bin bi na de highest for de world, out of evri 1000 pipo 60 bi get epilepsy. Just now out of evri 1000 pipo 45 get epilepsy, Prof. Mbonda tok.

Change bi as goment and e partners, drug companies dem help Cameroon league against epilepsy for treat de sick pipo.

But for Batibo, Wum for Northwest region, Ntui for Centre region, epilepsy still high, Monda tok.

For de ten regions any man get e own cause for epilepsy, weh e get relation wit traditional, league di collaborate wit traditional healers and communities for tell dem say book pipo know dis sick.

Plenti epilepsy dey and e depend for how deh di manifest, and how deh fit treat'am weh e need treatment wit collaboration for traditional healers and community, de Neurologists add.

Kenneth Nsom na Director for Non-Governmental Organisation - Community Development and Epilepsy Foundation, CODEF weh e don di work for Batibo and Wum wit pipo weh deh get epilepsy.

E say deh identify de pipo wey get dis history and give de result for district hospital and put dem for into groups helep dem for do small business for get moni for go hospital and give dem first aid before deh go hospital.

"Teach de pikin dem for school, church for prevent fall, and wen patients hit dia head we di tell dem and link oda family and community members for take dem go hospital."

CODEF say dia problem now na say Anglophone crisis di make de pipo weh deh gada before for helep demselves don scata.

For de work weh deh di do,Nsom say epilepsy di touch many woman dem but for Wum for Northwest, na Fulani pipo get epilepsy pass and deh for check'am if crisis no bi, dey.

Na how epilepsy di manifest e sef

Epilepsy fit show as some man di loss consciousness, fall, shake for all de skin or some parts.

Odas signs na imagination, wen man di see, hear, smell, and feel weti no di exist or get some kana behaviour and for one part for de bodi.

"For Cameroon all health workers get idea for care for epilepsy, even traditional healers weh we don include for de care for seka say for every community deh fit helep sick pipo," Monda tok.

Weti for do wen pesin get crisis

Komot evri tin weh e fit cause harm, protect de head, dress dia clothes, komot glasses if de pesin weh fall, put de pesin one side make saliva komot, wait make de pesin get e sense back, no move de pesin or stop de shaking no try for make de pesin sit, no put fingers mop, no give any tin for drink.