Pandemics and Burden of Stroke and Epilepsy in Sub-Saharan Africa: Experience from a Longstanding Health Programme

Massimo Leone, Fausto Ciccacci, Stefano Orlando, Sandro Petrolati, Giovanni Guidotti, Noorjehan Abdul Majid, Victor Tamba Tolno, JeanBaptiste Sagno, Darlington Thole, Fabio Massimo Corsi, Michelangelo Bartolo and Maria Cristina Marazzi
Additional contact information
Massimo Leone: The Foundation of the Carlo Besta IRCCS Neurologic Institute, 20133 Milan, Italy
Fausto Ciccacci: UniCamillus Saint Camillus International, University of Health Sciences, 00100 Rome, Italy
Stefano Orlando: University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00100 Rome, Italy
Sandro Petrolati: San Camillo Hospital Department of Cardioscience, 00100 Rome, Italy
Giovanni Guidotti: Azienda Sanitaria Locale (ASL) Roma 1 Regione Lazio, 00100 Rome, Italy
Noorjehan Abdul Majid: Community of S. Egidio DREAM Program, Maputo 1102, Mozambique
Victor Tamba Tolno: Community of S. Egidio DREAM Program, Blantyre 312224, Malawi
JeanBaptiste Sagno: Community of S. Egidio DREAM Program, Blantyre 312224, Malawi
Darlington Thole: Community of S. Egidio DREAM Program, Balaka 302100, Malawi
Fabio Massimo Corsi: Salvator Mundi International Hospital Neurology, 00100 Rome, Italy
Michelangelo Bartolo: Telemedicine Department San Giovanni Addolorata Hospital, 00100 Rome, Italy
Maria Cristina Marazzi: Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta, 00100 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: Eighty percent of people with stroke live in low- to middle-income nations, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where stroke has increased by more than 100% in the last decades. More than one-third of all epilepsy?related deaths occur in SSA. HIV infection is a risk factor for neurological disorders, including stroke and epilepsy. The vast majority of the 38 million people living with HIV/AIDS are in SSA, and the burden of neurological disorders in SSA parallels that of HIV/AIDS. Local healthcare systems are weak. Many standalone HIV health centres have become a platform with combined treatment for both HIV and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), as advised by the United Nations. The COVID-19 pandemic is overwhelming the fragile health systems in SSA, and it is feared it will provoke an upsurge of excess deaths due to the disruption of care for chronic diseases such as HIV, TB, hypertension, diabetes, and cerebrovascular disorders. Disease Relief through Excellent and Advanced Means (DREAM) is a health programme active since 2002 to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS and related disorders in 10 SSA countries. DREAM is scaling up management of NCDs, including neurologic disorders such as stroke and epilepsy. We described challenges and solutions to address disruption and excess deaths from these diseases during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: sub-Saharan Africa; stroke; epilepsy; HIV/AIDS; COVID-19; medical education; retention; pandemic; care disruption; DREAM programme (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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