Improving awareness of MS in Africa with young neurologists leading the way

A new initiative to raise awareness of MS and improve diagnosis reached over 800 healthcare professionals from 35 countries mainly in the African region. With long-held beliefs that MS is absent or extremely rare in many countries in this region, training in MS is not typically part of the medical curriculum, and lack of awareness is a key barrier to MS diagnosis.

Two neurologists from the region – Dr Mashina Chomba from Zambia, and Dr Fiifi Duodu from Ghana – have recently been awarded Du Pré grants from MSIF, which allowed them to undertake clinical and research placements with Dr Deanna Saylor, from Johns Hopkins University in the US, currently based at the University Teaching Hospital in Zambia.

Dr Chomba’s Du Pré project investigated diagnosis of MS in Zambia.

“My research work has been focused on understanding challenges patients with MS face, with a focus on their experiences and pathways to diagnosis with the view to identifying unique barriers in Zambia. This work has established that there is likely a significant number of Zambian people living with MS that are misdiagnosed with other neurological diseases that are considered more likely to occur in this population. These delays ultimately lead to increased disability and poor quality of life.”

Dr Fiifi Duodo, neurologist from Ghana

Dr Duodu’s Du Pré grant is supporting him to set up the first national MS registry in Ghana, as well as allowing him to provide training to junior neurologists, physicians, ophthalmologists, and general practitioners to help with early recognition, referral, and management of MS in Ghana.

Building on these collaborations, the three neurologists worked with several other neurologists from the region, including Professor Dilraj Sokhi (Kenya), Dr Alexandra Simpson (University of Virginia, USA), Dr Frighton Mutete (Zambia), and Dr Dickson Munkombwe (Zambia), to develop a training scheme, targeted towards internal medicine physicians, neurologists, emergency department physicians, general practitioners, clinical officers, medical officers and students. The initiative was also supported by AFRICTRIMS – a new TRIMS for the African region, connecting neurologists with a special interest in MS and related disorders.

The training was delivered virtually in May 2024 over the course of five evenings. Topics included:

• Overview of MS: Introduction to MS and review of local epidemiology
• Optic Neuritis: Clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and patient experience
• Indications for MS Referral: Clinical presentations and red flags necessitating neurology referral
• Management of MS: Acute treatment of relapses, disease modifying therapies, and symptom management
• MS in Africa: Future Directions: Cases in MS management and collaborative MS initiatives in Africa

In addition, there were two special modules. The first was aimed at ophthalmologists, as people with MS often experience visual symptoms. The second was aimed at orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons. This is because Dr Chomba’s research discovered that when people develop walking or mobility problems as their early symptoms of MS, they are often first referred to surgeons, and this causes more delays in the diagnostic process.

Dr Mashina Chomba, neurologist from Zambia

Dr Chomba says:

“This training has been pivotal in bridging the knowledge gap about MS in Africa. The overwhelming enthusiasm and engagement from participants demonstrate a clear and strong commitment among healthcare professionals in the region to better understand and address the challenges of MS”.

The training course was very well received, with the organisers having positive feedback from participants. We hope that the increased awareness among this large group of health professionals will lead to more people with MS receiving a diagnosis, more quickly.

This training course was recorded and is available for use by other healthcare professionals interested in learning more about MS. Please contact access@msif.org if you are interested in finding out more.

Learn more about improving access to MS healthcare and see what other organisations have done in their countries.

Find out more about global research fellowships in MS.