Persons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please send e-mail to: mmwrq@cdc.gov. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail.
Notice to Readers: National Epilepsy Awareness Month --- November 2003
November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month. Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic central nervous
system disorders in children and is characterized by unprovoked seizures. These seizures and the side effects of epilepsy
medications, and the lifestyle restrictions and social stigma associated with the disorder can affect their quality of life substantially.
Of approximately 2.3 million persons in the United States with epilepsy, approximately 316,000 are aged <15
years. Epilepsy is especially burdensome for those making the transition from childhood to adulthood. Seizures and their
treatment can impede learning, lead to isolation, and make youth susceptible to taunts and bullying from their peers. To
improve peer acceptance and understanding, the Epilepsy Foundation (EF), in partnership with CDC, is continuing its "Entitled to Respect" campaign. During November, the campaign will focus on educating black youth, an underserved segment of
the community, and on building new partnerships and improving services to affected children and families within the
black community. Additional information about epilepsy and the "Entitled to Respect" campaign is available from EF at telephone, 1-800-332-1000 or at
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org.
Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are
provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply
endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content
of pages found at these sites. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of
the date of publication.
Disclaimer
All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from ASCII text
into HTML. This conversion may have resulted in character translation or format errors in the HTML version.
Users should not rely on this HTML document, but are referred to the electronic PDF version and/or
the original MMWR paper copy for the official text, figures, and tables.
An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371; telephone: (202) 512-1800.
Contact GPO for current prices.
**Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to
mmwrq@cdc.gov.
