European Epilepsy Day
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The 3rd annual European Epilepsy Day takes place on Monday, February 11th 2013, three days before the feast day of St Valentine, the Patron Saint of Epilepsy.
The Day is an initiative of Epilepsy Advocacy Europe, a joint task force of the International Bureau for Epilepsy, an umbrella group of lay epilepsy associations (including Epilepsy Ireland) and the International League Against Epilepsy, an international organisation representing healthcare professionals.
The aim of European Epilepsy Day is to promote epilepsy awareness across Europe through educational and promotional activities. Organisations like Epilepsy Ireland all across the continent are organising campaigns or events to highlight the condition.
Epilepsy Ireland is running a series of radio ads highlighting EED and our Valentine's Rose Appeal, voiced by our Patron, 2FM presenter Rick O'Shea and by the Rose of Tralee Nicola McEvoy. As well as a new option to donate by text, Roses will also be on sale at locations across the country.
We also hope to generate a lot of coverage of epilepsy in local and national media in order to raise awareness, focusing on the results of a survey of 1,000 members of the public about their knowledge and attitude to epilepsy. Keep an eye out for that.
At European level, the theme for European Epilepsy Day is "No seizures, no side effects". Epilepsy Advocacy Europe will host a Working Group on Prevalence & Costs of Epilepsy in Europe. Both areas have major knowledge gaps, which should be addressed urgently to ensure adequate and cost-effective epilepsy care across Europe.
Find out more about what you can do to support European Epilepsy Day here.
Find out more about St Valentine and epilepsy here.