Pretoria - National Epilepsy Week will be celebrated this week (17 to 23 June) to raise awareness and dispel some myths and stigmas attached to the condition.
The most common neurological condition in the world, characterised by unusual electrical activity in the brain, epilepsy is still very much misunderstood.
National Epilepsy Week will include a Cupcake Challenge. The public can participate by baking and icing a cupcake, taking a picture of it, sharing it on the organisation’s social media sites and getting friends to vote for their entry.
If not a baker, show your support by wearing something red. Paint your nails red and put on red lipstick to get into the spirit of things.
You can also join a candlelighting ceremony or organise your own.
Download your “Licence to Chill” for 15 minutes on National Epilepsy Day – June 21 – to think about people with epilepsy.
Limited public understanding of the condition contributes to stigmatisation through negative attitudes towards people with epilepsy.
Such stigmatisation leads to discrimination and can have a negative effect on seizure control and quality of life of people with epilepsy.
“National Epilepsy Week focuses on educating the public about the rights of people with epilepsy. We decided on this theme to encourage people to question their attitudes towards the condition to increase opportunities for the inclusion and integration of people with epilepsy,” says Marina Clarke, National Director of Epilepsy South Africa.
* For more information, contact 0860 EPILEPSY (0860 374 537) or visit www.epilepsy.org.za.
Useful facts about the condition
* Epilepsy is the most common neurological condition.
* About one in every 100 people has epilepsy.
* A single seizure does not necessarily mean you have epilepsy.
* Epilepsy can affect anyone, at any age. At least 75 percent of those with epilepsy had their first seizure before age 20.
* Up to 80 percent of people will have their epilepsy controlled by medication.
* Many children with epilepsy will outgrow it.
* Epilepsy is not a mental illness or psychiatric disorder.
* Epilepsy is not infectious or contagious.
* At least one in 20 people have a seizure at some time in their lives.
* A seizure is caused by abnormal chemical activity of the brain.
* Slightly more men than women have epilepsy.
* Epilepsy has not stood in the way of achievement for people like Jonty Rhodes, Vusi Mahlasela and Agatha Christie.
* There are various forms of epilepsy and types of seizures.
* Some people’s seizures follow a pattern while others are unpredictable.
* Some people get a warning before a seizure.
* Most seizures are over quickly and easily dealt with.
* Epilepsy affects people of all levels of intelligence and from all racial and social backgrounds.
* Anyone can develop epilepsy at any stage of life.
* For most people with epilepsy, the biggest problem they face is other people’s attitudes. What people with epilepsy most need is understanding and acceptance from the public. - Pretoria News