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NEXT week is national epilepsy week and the National Society for Epilepsy is calling on people to support its Stamp on Stigma' campaign.

In a recent survey the charity found that more than 40 per cent of people in the south believe epilepsy is an illness you are born with and many showed a lack of knowledge about how to help someone suffering a seizure.

Charity spokesman Amanda Cleaver said: "Although epilepsy it the UK's most common serious neurological condition, affecting one in 131 people, there is still a lot of ignorance. It's that lack of understanding that feeds stigma.

"Epilepsy can strike anyone of any age at any time in their life. There are many reasons why someone might have epilepsy, for example because of a head injury, but sometimes it starts out of the blue and no cause is found."

About two thirds of people asked said they would call an ambulance for someone suffering a seizure and about ten per cent said they would put something in the person's mouth.

In fact there is no need to call an ambulance unless the person has injured themselves or the seizure has lasted more than five minutes and you should never put anything in their mouth.

3:03pm Saturday 10th May 2008

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