The 5th African Epilepsy Congress was held from the 16th to 18th of May 2025 at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka, Zambia. The Congress was organized by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE). The Congress aimed to explore groundbreaking advancements in both basic and clinical epileptology, address key social issues related to epilepsy, and strengthen the bonds among researchers, clinicians, caregivers, and healthcare practitioners from across the African continent. As neurocysticercosis is a leading cause of epilepsy globally, the Neurosolve Project Zambian team submitted four abstracts with three accepted as oral platform presentations and one as a poster. The Neurosolve Project was thus represented by Evans K. Mwape, Gideon Zulu, Mashina Chomba and Richard Mambo (Picture 1).
Picture 1: The Zambian Neurosolve Team with Pendo Faustine Magili (centre) from Neurosolve Tanzanian Team at the 5th African Epilepsy Congress.
Evans gave a presentation titled “Neurocysticercosis, a Leading Cause of Epilepsy; What are the Opportunities and Challenges in its Control in Zambia.” (Picture 2) while Gideon presented a poster titled “Epilepsy in the context of neurocysticercosis – Evidence from rural Zambia” (Picture 3). Mashina chaired a session and gave a talk titled “Epilepsy in Rural Zambia: The Role of Neurocysticercosis” (Picture 4) and Richard’s presentation focused on epilepsy treatment gaps in a presentation titled “Gaps in Treatment of Epileptic Seizures in a Zambian Rural Area” (Picture 5).
Picture 2: Evans giving his presentation.
Picture 3: Gideon standing by his poster presentation.
Picture 4: Richard giving his presentation.
Picture 5: Mashina giving his presentation.