North Yorkshire doctor raising awareness on World Encephalitis Day
The inflammation of the brain affects 6,000 people in the UK every year
A North Yorkshire doctor is raising awareness on World Encephalitis Day, as 78% of people don’t know about the condition.
Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain; a devastating neurological condition, which can leave survivors with a permanent brain injury.
Approximately 500,000 children and adults around the world are affected by encephalitis each year – one person every minute – including 6,000 people in the UK.
Death rates are high for people affected by encephalitis, and survivors can be left with problems with memory, diminished cognitive skills, changes in personality, emotional and behavioural difficulties, epilepsy, fatigue, and other physical difficulties which can make return to school, work, family, and social life very challenging.
Increase in cases during pandemic
Early data shows COVID-19 has led to an increase in people affected by encephalitis.
Between 6 – 13 in every 100 people around the world diagnosed with COVID-19 who go on to develop neurological complications, will contract encephalitis 1,2.
As COVID-19 is now a vaccine preventable disease, the Encephalitis Society is urging people to get the facts so they feel vaccine confident.
Encephalitis is also poignantly depicted in the newly-released Sky Original Film To Olivia, chronicling the life of author Roald Dahl, his wife Patricia Neal, and the tragic loss of their daughter Olivia to measles encephalitis – also a vaccine-preventable condition
Despite the box-office spotlight with films such as To Olivia (2021) and Brain on Fire (2016), more than three quarters (78%) of adults worldwide do not know what encephalitis is – even though in many countries it has a higher incidence than multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease (ALS), bacterial meningitis, and cerebral palsy.
World Encephalitis Day
Since its launch in 2014, World Encephalitis Day has reached more than 186 million people around the world, raising awareness and support for the condition.
Encephalitis Society are lighting up iconic buildings and landmarks around the world Red and are urging people to wear red today (Monday 22nd February), and use the hashtags #Red4WED and #WorldEncephalitisDay on social media to spread the word.
Dr Ava Easton, who's from Malton in North Yorkshire, is CEO of the Encephalitis Society.
She told us even though not many people know of the condition it's actually very common:
"Rare is a word that we have banned with encephalitis actually.
"It's more common than people realise.
"In many countries there is a higher incidence, so more numbers of people with encephalitis than there is with motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis or bacterial meningitis."