Write a commentEpilepsy Awareness Day is on Thursday the 26th of March and SDLP Newry Councillor Kevin McAteer has called on the public to come out and support the event by wearing Purple on the day or contributing to the charity. Cllr McAteer who suffers from epilepsy himself has stressed how important it is to raise awareness of the condition.
He said: “Only 52 per cent of people with epilepsy in the UK are seizure-free. It is estimated that 70% could be seizure free with the right treatment. It is important that we continue to raise awareness on this issue in order to help others to seek the proper treatment.”
“Epilepsy is a neurological condition and can affect anyone, at any age and from any walk of life. In the UK one in every 103 people has epilepsy. Every day in the UK, 87 people are diagnosed with the condition.
“It is vital that we also raise awareness around first aid for people with epilepsy. The public should know what treatment to administer to someone if they take a seizure.
“I encourage the public to find out more about epilepsy and to support Action Epilepsy’s Purple Day visit www.epilepsy.org.uk.”
SDLP Newry & Armagh Representative Justin McNulty said: “It is essential that we maintain the services that our Health Service provides for those with epilepsy and that budget cuts do not affect these services in any way.”
