A study of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis in Kenya

A retrospective study was made over a five-year period of 53 patients at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya, who presented with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. The clinical, EEG and serological findings are similar to those found in other studies. As identified by epidemiological studies elsewhere, the factors which are likely to have a bearing on the aetiology of the disease are prevalent throughout the Kenya, yet there is a strong rural distribution of cases in this study. No cases have been reported from the Masai tribe. These features are discussed with regard to the possible implications for the aetiology of the disease.