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Purple Day 2021 – raising epilepsy awareness

26th March 2021
Posted by Aston Avery

Epilepsy is one of the most common serious neurological conditions in the world. It affects around 600,000 people in the UK. This means that almost 1 in 100 people – equivalent to one child in every UK primary school – has epilepsy. However, new research by Epilepsy Action ahead of Purple Day 2021 reveals that, despite this high prevalence, 80% of Brits don’t know or aren’t sure of how common the condition is.

Around 87 people are diagnosed with epilepsy in the UK every day. Most commonly known to cause seizures, the condition is often misunderstood, with the research revealing 68% of Brits believe that those with health conditions simply need to be more positive and another 1 in 5 people (21%) incorrectly believe that once people get on the right medication, their epilepsy is pretty much cured.

Yet while epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions, almost 3 in 4 Brits (71%) say they don’t know or aren’t sure if they know someone with epilepsy. Perhaps more worryingly around 1 in 3 (38%) of us confess to not feeling equipped to help someone having an epileptic seizure, and 68% of people admitted they would be afraid to even witness one.

Aston spoke to Louise Cousins, director of external affairs at Epilepsy Action o highlight the most common misconceptions, explain how these myths can be harmful for those living with epilepsy, to tell us more about Purple Day and how we can all get involved and support this year.