Table 3.
Knowledge of epilepsy among participants
| Variable | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Causes of epilepsy (each out of 753) | |
| Hereditary | 238 (31.6) |
| Severe malaria/febrile convulsion | 70 (9.3) |
| Onchocerciasis | 49 (6.5) |
| Witchcraft | 86 (11.4) |
| Don’t know | 413 (54.8) |
| Symptoms of epilepsy (each out of 753) | |
| Loss of consciousness plus (foaming, tongue biting, incontinency) | 548 (72.8) |
| Shaking/trembling of part of the body for a short period, but unable to control | 144 (19.1) |
| Head nodding | 44 (5.8) |
| Experiences unusual smells, sounds, or visual hallucinations | 3 (0.4) |
| Changes behaviour | 60 (8.0) |
| Don’t know | 182 (24.2) |
| Epilepsy is an infectious disease (n = 753) | |
| Yes | 165 (21.9) |
| No | 368 (48.9) |
| Don’t know | 220 (29.2) |
| Onchocerciasis causes epilepsy (n = 753) | |
| Yes | 109 (14.5) |
| No | 177 (23.5) |
| Don’t know | 469 (62.0) |
| The most vulnerable population at risk of developing OAE (each out of 753) | |
| Children | 114 (15.4) |
| Adolescents and young adults | 964 (12.7) |
| Adults and Elders | 80 (10.6) |
| Other (pregnant women, any age group, those who do not take ivermectin) | 81 (10.8) |
| Don’t know | 473 (62.8) |
| Epilepsy is treatable (n = 753) | |
| Yes | 391 (51.9) |
| No | 225 (29.9) |
| Don’t know | 137 (18.2) |
| Method of treatment (each out of 391) | |
| Traditional treatment (Herbal remedies or/and traditional healers) | 101 (25.8) |
| Modern treatment | 342 (87.5) |
| Don’t know | 01 (0.3) |
| Ivermectin for onchocerciasis treatment helps to reduce the incidences of OAE (n = 753) | |
| Yes | 192 (25.5) |
| No | 50 (6.6) |
| Don’t know | 511 (67.9) |
| Seizure management (each out of 753) | |
| Keep the individual in a safe place to avoid injury | 374 (49.7) |
| Lay the person on his/her side to enable smooth breathing while unconscious | 244 (32.4) |
| Consult a health facility if an individual remains unconscious for ≥ 5 min | 117 (15.5) |
| Others | 42 (5.6) |
| Don’t know | 233 (30.9) |
| OAE is a preventable disease (n = 753) | |
| Yes | 156 (20.7) |
| No | 73 (9.7) |
| Don’t know | 524 (69.6) |
| Methods of OAE prevention (each out of 156) | |
| Preventive chemotherapy (use of ivermectin treatment) | 156 (99.3) |
| Avoid being bitten by blackflies | 14 (9.0) |