International holidays - World Encephalitis Day

Every year on February 22, many countries celebrate World Encephalitis Day. It was created to raise people's awareness of encephalitis and thereby prevent possible cases of infection with this infectious disease that affects the brain and nervous system. The initiative to create World Awareness Day came from representatives of the Encephalitis Society. In October 2013, it was decided to hold events aimed at familiarizing citizens with the symptoms of the disease, special diagnostics and treatment annually on February 22. The first World Encephalitis Day was held in 2014. The events were held under a special motto - “Make today your first.” As it turns out, many patients had never heard of this disease before diagnosis. To raise awareness about this dangerous infectious disease, it was decided to share information in such a way that the whole world would know about it. In 2015, during World Encephalitis Day, it was decided to focus on the important role of early diagnosis in treating the disease. In many countries on this day, qualified specialists conducted webinars on various forms of encephalitis. Olympic athlete Rebecca Adlington and Britain's Got Talent contestant Alika Chrishou also joined the events. In subsequent years, digital art, photography and short film competitions were held to raise public awareness of the infection. The artists who took part in them, with the help of their works, helped people clearly see how dangerous this disease can be if it is not given due attention. Representatives of the World Encephalitis Society encouraged all supporters to wear red on this day, and also share their stories on social networks using the special hashtag #RED4WED. In 2017, about 40 million people joined the events on February 22. More than 50 of the world's most famous landmarks were equipped with red lighting. Among them were: Perth and Blackpool Tower, the Millennium Bridge, fountains in Trafalgar Square, as well as the Swan Bell Tower and Niagara Falls. In 2018, a special mobile application for smartphones, BrainWalk, was created. Users were invited to unite on February 22 and walk around the globe, taking more than 50 million digital steps. In total, many residents from 43 countries took part in this event. Together they managed to take 110 million steps.