Raising Awareness on World Encephalitis Day – 22 February 2019 | Bolt Burdon Kemp Raising Awareness on World Encephalitis Day – 22 February 2019 | Bolt Burdon Kemp

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Raising Awareness on World Encephalitis Day – 22 February 2019

World Encephalitis Day is an annual event, led by The Encephalitis Society, which takes place on 22nd February every year, with the aim of raising awareness of the condition.

Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain.  It is often caused when viruses travel to the brain and infect it or when the body’s own immune system attacks the brain.  Its effects can often be devastating and many are left with long-term problems due to damage to their brain.  For those who make a full recovery from encephalitis, it is still a long and frustrating process.

The Encephalitis Society is a global charity that supports those affected by encephalitis and helps to raise awareness of the condition amongst the general public.  They also promote and collaborate on research on encephalitis and provide information to healthcare professionals by holding conferences and other events – in order to increase their understanding of the terrible disease.

Encephalitis affects 500,000 people globally every year and around 6,000 people annually in the UK alone – yet studies suggest that 78% of people worldwide don’t know what it is.  Sadly, many people will not have heard of encephalitis unless they have had a personal experience of the condition.

We at Bolt Burdon Kemp work closely with The Encephalitis Society to raise awareness of the disease.  Having acted for a number of clients who have been left with severe injuries due to the illness, we’re all too aware of the devastating impact it can have on patients and their families.

We’ve been taking part in the BrainWalk digital challenge, where an app on our phones records how many steps we take each day, with the aim of reaching 52 million steps (the equivalent of walking around the world) by World Encephalitis Day.  As part of this challenge, our Adult Brain Injury and Child Brain Injury teams have been promoting being active in order to log as many steps as we can to reach the overall target – all in a bid to raise awareness of encephalitis.  We’re also taking part in the #RED4WED social media campaign on the day.

From left to right: Victoria Moore, Suzanne Trask, Tom Lax, Tanith Jones, Kate O’Brien, Evangeline Ashby

We are urging people to get behind the charity too and to take part in World Encephalitis Day on 22nd February.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The Encephalitis Society has highlighted a number of ways people can show their support on the day, including:

  • Wear something red and share your photos on social media, with the hashtag #RED4WED
  • Help distribute information in the workplace, schools or anywhere else it may be seen, such as printing and displaying this poster

You can access some further tips on how you can help to raise awareness, together with the relevant resources, here.

Raising awareness of encephalitis could help someone access vital information which might even save a life.

Kate O’Brien is a solicitor in the Medical Negligence team at Bolt Burdon Kemp.  If you or a loved one is concerned about the treatment you have received, contact Kate free of charge and in confidence on 020 7288 4814 or at kateo’brien@boltburdonkemp.co.uk.  Alternatively, complete this form and one of the solicitors in the Medical Negligence team will contact you.  Find out more about the Medical Negligence team.

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