Contrary to the general belief that epilepsy is contagious, the Medical Director of Federal Neuropsychiatric hospital in Kaduna, Dr. Taiwo Lateef Sheikh has said that the ailment is not contagious. According to him, epilepsy which he described as a mental disorder caused by abnormal functioning of the brain cannot be contracted by simply going close or touching an affected victim.

He said: "Epilepsy can have a visible and invisible cause. Visible causes are causes you can see, for instance, when a child suffers from infection that affects the brain like meningitis, tetanus and septicaemia among others or when a child falls on the head and have injury in the brain. "Also, those who have problem of incompatibility and have jaundice in early childhood may end up having epilepsy. Invisible causes include causes that have to do with genetics. When the baby's brain is being formed, it is possible to have abnormal genetic constitution that may pre-dispose the person to epilepsy or abnormal wiring of the brain." The expert said Epilepsy is a common disorder of the brain that we see every day but people have a lot of misconception about it, which tends to mitigate the kind of care people who suffer the ailment are suppose to get. When an epileptic patient has an attack, people run away simply because they feel, it is contagious," he said, noting that epilepsy is not a sickness that can be contracted by touching the victim's saliva or urine. He also clarified the misconception that epilepsy is an incurable disease, saying that there are epileptic illnesses that once its cause is identified and dealt with, it disappears. "Of course, there are some that the patient may need to take medicine for a life time but that does not make the illness incurable. He therefore urged the general public to always rally round epileptic patients during their epileptic fit in order to offer a helping hand.

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