Epilepsy Awareness Day

Purple Day is a global initiative dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy. On March 26^th each year, people from around the globe are asked to come together and wear purple and spread the work about epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a common brain disorder which takes the form of recurring seizures. It can develop at any age, regardless of gender or ethnicity. An estimated 65 million worldwide currently live with epilepsy – in Australia alone approximately 250,000 people live with epilepsy and one in 25 people will have epilepsy at some point in their life.

Epilepsy is more common than MS, Parkinson’s Disease and Cerebral Palsy combined and affects roughly 2% of the population at any one time – equating to 50million people.

Many people are able to outgrow their epilepsy or are in long term remission from seizures. However, for some people Epilepsy can have profound social, physical and psychological consequences. The cause of epilepsy in most people is unknown, but for most is due to illness, stroke, disease, tumours, injury or birth defects.

Do you know what to do when someone is having a seizure?

SEIZURE FIRST AID

DO

• Stay with the person
• Time seizure
• Protect from injury especially the head
• Roll onto side after jerking stops OR immediately if food/fluid/vomit in mouth
• Observe and monitor breathing
• Gently reassure until recovered
  

DO NOT

• Put anything in the person’s mouth
• Restrain the person
• Move person unless in danger

CALL THE AMBULANCE IF:

• You are in any doubt
• Injury has occurred
• There is food/fluid/vomit in mouth
• Seizure occurs in water
• Person has breathing difficulties after jerking stops
• Another seizure quickly follows
• Seizure lasts longer than 5 mins
• The person is non-responsive for more than 5 mins after the seizure ends