The people of Raja County in Western Bahr El Ghazal state suffer from a high incidence of epilepsy and river blindness. Families and victims have appealed for treatment in the remote region which is one or two days travel from Wau by road.

Dr.Yasser Mohamed Biajo, a doctor in Raja Hospital in an interview with Radio Tamazuj said that there is a large outbreak of epilepsy among families, especially in Raja County. He said that out of every five people in a family there are three who are sick from epilepsy.

The doctor warned about the transmission of the disease from fathers and mothers to their children within the family, which can increase the rate of infection, and he revealed  that the treatment in the county is not sufficient, and he also added that there are spasms associated with the condition which harm the health of the victims.

A citizen of Boro Medina, a town west of the county seat in Raja, said that 130 residents are sick from epilepsy. He said that this year none of the aid organizations sent a doctor to help.

According to Dr. Yasser Biajo, there is also an increasing incidence of  river blindness disease in Raja County in the areas opposite Northern Bahr el Ghazal state. He spoke of growing numbers of people affected by the disease of all ages, and pointed to the difficulty of treatment. He added that even with treatment available it is still necessary for relevant authorities to provide the means of combating the black flies that carry the disease.

Related content:

From Radio Tamazuj: River blindness endemic in South Sudan's Aroyo County (22 July 2012)

From the UN Mission in South Sudan: Epilepsy damaging lives in Raja (1 March 2012)