If you interview 10 people today, 9 out of 10 will tell you they believe that epilepsy is contagious and if you tell them otherwise they'll think you're joking.
That's how strong people have come to believe in the myth that epilepsy is contagious.
And so they would never dream to touch, eat, drink, or sleep in the same room with an epileptic especially during a seizure.
While in fact, EPILEPSY ISN'T CONTAGIOUS! It's almost as contagious as an headache
There's no way you are contacting epilepsy just by being in contact with an epileptic. Definitely Not!
Epilepsy is a chronic noncommunicable disease of the brain characterized by recurrent seizures and are sometimes accompanied by loss of consciousness and control of bowel or bladder function.
The seizures occur due to a disruption of electrical activity in the brain, which temporarily disturbs the information transmission between brain cells.
Epilepsy is said to affect around 50 million people worldwide.
However, healthcare professionals, in many cases, will not know the exact cause.
Some people inherit genetic factors that make epilepsy more likely to occur. Other factors that may increase the risk include head trauma, stroke and tumors,
infectious diseases such as viral encephalitis, brain damage that occurs before birth or
developmental conditions like autism.
But in no way has it been found to be transfered from one person to another through bodily contacts.
Symptoms of epilepsy are also closely related to some other conditions. Those that may indicate epilepsy include convulsion with no fever,
intermittent fainting accompanied with loss of bowel or bladder control, sudden falling for no apparent reason, sudden bouts of blinking without apparent stimuli,
temporarily seeming dazed and unable to communicate, jerking arms, legs, or body, which will appear as a cluster of rapid jerking movements in babies e.t.c
It's also important we set facts straight that an epileptic can't swallow his tongue during a seizure
And neither should you force anything into the person's mouth.
Instead stay near at a safe distance and help the person to lay on their side and prevent them from getting to a place they can get injured.
There is currently no cure for most types of epilepsy.
Although a doctor may prescribe antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) to help prevent seizures.
Thanks for reading.
Erika Klein. What to know about epilepsy. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8947#definition. Accessed 12th September, 2022.
WHO. Epilepsy. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets /detail/epilepsy. Accessed 12th September, 2022.
McGill University Health Centre. 12 common myths and misconceptions about epilepsy. https://www.thechildren.com/health-info/conditions-and-illnesses/12-common-myths-and-misconceptions-about-epilepsy. Accessed 12th* September, 2022.
