Epilepsy is chronic non-communicable diseases of the brains that affects around 50 million people worldwide and close to 80% of them are found in developing regions. It is one of the world’s oldest recognized conditions, with written records dating back to 4000 BC. Fear, misunderstanding, discrimination and social stigma have surrounded epilepsy for centuries. This stigma continues in many countries today and can impact on the quality of life for people with the disease and their families.

Epilepsy accounts for 0.5% of the global burden of disease, a time-based measure that combines years of life lost due to premature mortality and time lived in states of less than full health and it has significant economic implications in terms of health-care needs, premature death and lost work productivity.