Shaping Healthier Futures Through Storybooks

It is a sad fact that many epileptic patients face the danger of falling into open fire made for cooking or other reasons. Fall from high while collecting twigs for firewood and drowning in the rainy season in the flooding rivers are some other causes of major disability and death.

A 16 years old school girl had a seizure and fell into open cooking fire while helping her mother, who supports the family selling injera. The mother was around to take her out of the fire but not soon enough to avoid severe burn to the face. After recovery with a very scarred face, the girl refused to go back to school for fear that her looks would frightens off younger students and also bring her stigma among her peers. Her chances of education and forming a family when coming to age all gone together. She continues to live with her mother

Such tragedies can be effectively prevented through early detection, control of seizures with anticonvulsant drugs and health education. After injury a quick and appropriate burn management and Rehabilitative measures for those who have developed serious disability would also be crucial. Decentralization of services through training of nurses in the primary care setting which are far more  accessible to the victims in terms of distance would give the opportunity for early detection and control of seizures and when this have failed an early burn treatment and referral in severe cases will significantly reduce the burden of permanent disability to these patients