Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy: charting a path forward

The association between onchocerciasis and epilepsy was initially suggested by Casis-Sacre in Chiapas and Oaxaca in Mexico in 1938 [1]. In 1942, Balanzario Rosas, a collaborator of Casis-Sacre, described the “onchocerciasis epileptic syndrome” [2], characterised by epilepsy onset between 9 and 18 years of age, growth failure, neurodevelopmental impairment, a “simian face”, and physical deformities [2]. Later, the association between onchocerciasis and epilepsy was also observed in Bahr El Ghazal, South Sudan [3].

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