This study was performed to analyze sociocultural beliefs about epilepsy among Guaraní communities in Bolivia. People with epilepsy, their family members, the general population, and local health care personnel were interviewed about the meaning of and beliefs, feelings, and practices concerning epilepsy. Epilepsy is called mano-mano, a term that means being in a constant passage between life and death. The disease is attributed mainly to a failure to observe a fasting period and to other eating habits. Natural remedies are the most recommended treatments even though half of respondents reported that antiepileptic drugs may be effective. The concept of epilepsy as an embodied disease with natural causes appears to differ from that documented in other traditional societies. People with epilepsy do not represent a threat to the community, which seems to have an attitude aimed at their protection. Moreover, people from these communities appear to favor a combination of biomedical and traditional care systems.

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The seismic risk determination for any country is a vital tool in the process of physical planning, construction and reduction of disasters caused by earthquakes. In recent years, there have been several studies on the subject, however, different methodologies could be improved from the design of a set of basic criteria, which using the advantages of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), could help to establish greater clarity in the seismic risk determining. To meet this goal, in this study, the authors propose a new allocation methodology based on levels of importance of variables that influence the specific seismic risk assessment and propose a new formula for mathematical determination through modeling with GIS.

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