Photography Competition - World Encephalitis Day
Photographers are being asked to use their artistic skills to highlight a life-threatening brain condition which affects hundreds of thousands of people each year. The Encephalitis Society is seeking entries for its Short Film, Digital Art and Photography competition as it gears up for the third annual World Encephalitis Day on February 22, 2016.
The charity hopes to raise awareness about the condition, an inflammation of the brain, which affects 500,000 people around the world each year.
PHOTO: Mitch Orr - Frozen in Time
Dr Ava Easton, Chief Executive of The Encephalitis Society, said: “We are asking survivors, their families and the wider public to ‘show us what you know about encephalitis.’
“Our hope is they will use photography to express what encephalitis means to people across the globe.”
There are three categories in the competition: Short Film; Digital Art; and Photography.
Entries can be submitted until the end of January and full details of how to enter can be found at www.worldencephalitisday.org
The finalists will be shortlisted by a judging panel and decided by a public vote on February 22.
Dr Easton said: “We have already had a number of entries in the photography category, but are hoping for many more between now and World Encephalitis Day. Encephalitis is a global issue and we need to make people aware that it can affect anyone.”
Encephalitis affects all ages and is caused either by an infection invading the brain or through the body’s immune system attacking the brain in error.
Up to third of people affected will die. The majority of survivors, meanwhile, are left with an acquired brain injury and a legacy of challenges such as epilepsy, memory problems and issues with mental abilities such as concentration, attention, thinking, judgement and inhibition.
Dr Easton said: “We have seen at first-hand the devastation that encephalitis can have on individuals and their families - and yet it is still a little-known condition among the public.
“In many ways it is a hidden disability – from the outside, everything can seem normal, but that is most definitely not the case.”
“Figures from Public Health England say that is costs the NHS around £40 million a year – not including the costs of rehab and long-term care – and yet it is less well known than Motor Neurone Disease and certain forms of Meningitis, even though it affects more people each year.”
ENCEPHALITIS
Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain and is caused either by an infection invading the brain (infectious); or through the immune system attacking the brain in error (post-infectious / autoimmune encephalitis).
The condition is indiscriminate, striking adults and children alike, showing no respect for age, gender, ethnic origin or culture. Mortality rates are high and in those who survive many are left with an acquired brain injury, the degree and severity of which will vary. Their difficulties may include cognitive, physical, emotional, behavioural, or psychosocial consequences.
SYMPTOMS
The types of symptoms seen in Encephalitis reflect the specific areas of the brain affected by the inflammation. The range of symptoms and their rate of development vary widely and can make the diagnosis of Encephalitis difficult.
Infectious Encephalitis frequently begins with a ‘flu-like illness or headache. Typically more serious symptoms follow hours to days later. The most serious finding is an alteration in level of consciousness. This can range from mild confusion or drowsiness, to loss of consciousness, seizures and coma. Other symptoms include a high temperature, seizures (fits), aversion to bright lights, inability to speak or control movement, sensory changes, neck stiffness, or uncharacteristic behaviour.
In autoimmune types of Encephalitis people can present with psychosis and hallucinations among other neurological presentations. Sometimes these patients can be mistakenly thought to be developing psychiatric or mental health illnesses.
