Epilepsy is a group of neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures are episodes that can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking. These episodes can result in physical injuries, including occasionally broken bones. In epilepsy, seizures have a tendency to recur and, as a rule, have no immediate underlying cause. Isolated seizures that are provoked by a specific cause such as poisoning are not deemed to represent epilepsy. People with epilepsy may be treated differently in various areas of the world and experience varying degrees of social stigma due to their condition.
A seizure, formally known as an epileptic seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with loss of consciousness, to shaking movements involving only part of the body with variable levels of consciousness, to a subtle momentary loss of awareness. Most of the time these episodes last less than 2 minutes and it takes some time to return to normal. Loss of bladder control may occur.
Burundi is one of the few countries in Africa to be a direct territorial continuation of a pre-colonial era African state.
Pierre Buyoya was a Burundian army officer and politician who served two terms as President of Burundi in 1987 to 1993 and 1996 to 2003 as de facto military dictator. He was the second-longest serving president in Burundian history.
The Ruzizi is a river, 117 kilometres (73 mi) long, that flows from Lake Kivu to Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa, descending from about 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) to about 770 metres (2,530 ft) above sea level over its length. The steepest gradients occur over the first 40 kilometres (25 mi), where hydroelectric dams have been built. Further downstream, the Ruzizi Plain, the floor of the Western Rift Valley, has only gentle hills, and the river flows into Lake Tanganyika through a delta, with one or two small channels splitting off from the main channel.
Gitega is one of the 18 provinces of Burundi. Its capital is Gitega, which is also the national capital. It has a population of 725,223 as of 2008 and an area of 1,979 square kilometres (764 sq mi).
Bururi is a city located in southern Burundi. It is the capital city of Bururi Province and has around 20.000 inhabitants in 2007.
The wildlife of Burundi is composed of its flora and fauna. The small, landlocked country is home to 2,950 species of plants, 596 birds, 163 species of vertebrates, 52 species of reptiles, 56 species of amphibians, and 215 fish species. The wildlife has been drastically reduced in recent years, mainly on account of intense population pressure, conversion of large areas of forest into agricultural land, and extensive livestock farming. The protected area encompasses little more than 5% of the total area of the country.
The Malagarasi River is a river in western Tanzania, flowing through Kigoma Region, although one of its tributaries comes from southeastern Burundi. It is the second-longest river in Tanzania behind the Rufiji—Great Ruaha, and has the largest watershed of any river flowing into Lake Tanganyika. The Malagarasi-Muyovozi Wetlands are a designated a Ramsar site. Local tribes have nicknamed the Malagarasi as "the river of bad spirits".
Epilepsy and driving is a personal and safety issue. A person with a seizure disorder that causes lapses in consciousness may be putting the public at risk from their operation of a motor vehicle. Not only can a seizure itself cause an accident, but anticonvulsants often have side effects that include drowsiness. People with epilepsy are more likely to be involved in a traffic accident than people who do not have the condition, although reports range from minimally more likely up to seven times more likely.
Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley where the African Great Lakes region and East Africa converge. It is bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and southeast, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Lake Tanganyika lies along its southwestern border. The capital cities are Gitega and Bujumbura.
The commune of Bururi is a commune of Bururi Province in south-western Burundi. The capital lies at Bururi. In 2007, DGHER electrified one rural village in the commune.
Buta is a small town in the Commune of Bururi in Bururi Province in southern Burundi. It is located 106 km by road southeast of Bujumbura and 11.3 km by R.N.16 and R.N.17 southeast of Bururi. A ten-minute drive from Bururi. Kruger writes wrongly that Buta is an important garrison town. During the civil war, there were a few kids in national service who were stationed there, to offer some protection to the seminary. On April 30, 1997, 44 Hutu and Tutsi seminarians were slaughtered at the minor seminary in Buta, most of whom were "Catholics of African origin: 8 from Rwanda, 6 from Congo, and 1 from Nigeria as well as the 4 from Burundi.".
Rwankona is a village in the Commune of Bururi in Bururi Province in southern Burundi. It is located just to the northwest of Buta.
Murehe is a village in the Commune of Bururi in Bururi Province in southern Burundi. By road it is located 21.1 kilometres southeast of Bururi. Missionaries have been present in Murehe but the village is said to have "suffered" a shortage of them. During the genocide, the Minister of the Interior met at the dispensary in Murehe in a meeting on August 7, 1996.
Vyanda is a town and seat of the Commune of Vyanda in Bururi Province in southern Burundi. By road it is located 34.9 kilometres southeast of Bururi and 13.2 kilometres northeast of Kigwena.
Rwira is an agricultural village in the Commune of Rutovu in Bururi Province in southern Burundi. It lies to the west of Rutovu. It is a place known for its bean production.
Rutovu is a small town and seat of the Commune of Rutovu in Bururi Province in southern Burundi. It lies 37.1 kilometres by road to the northeast of Bururi.
The Ikiza or the Ubwicanyi (Killings) was a genocide which was committed in Burundi in 1972 by the Tutsi-dominated army and government against the Hutus who lived in the country. Conservative estimates place the death toll of the genocide between 100,000 and 150,000 killed, while some estimates of the genocide's death toll go as high as 300,000.
