Epilepsy treatment can cost $5 a year. Millions don’t get it

Think of epilepsy as an electrical storm in the brain. This abnormal brain activity causes seizures, unusual behavior or sensations, or a loss of awareness. Most of the 50 million people who have it can live seizure-free if they take inexpensive, effective medicines. But 80% of people with epilepsy live in low- and middle-income countries, where three-quarters of them lack treatment, according to a new WHO global report on epilepsy. That’s despite effective anti-seizure medicines that can cost as little as $5 per year. “A lack of action to address the epilepsy treatment gap has dire consequences for people’s lives and well-being, and impacts social and economic development,” WHO’s Dr. Ren Minghui says in the report, which urges integrating epilepsy treatment into primary care.