site.btaKardzhali Culture House, Burgas Bridge Lit up in Purple for International Epilepsy Day

The building of the House of Culture in the southern town of Kardzhali and a bridge in the Black Sea city of Burgas will be lit up in purple on Monday night to mark the International Epilepsy Day. International Epilepsy Day is a global event celebrated annually on the second Monday of February, which this year falls on February 12.

The director of the Kardzhali cultural institution, Mariana Likova, told BTA: "This is the first time that we are participating in the campaign, but it won't be the last. We are open and supportive of such campaigns, as long as we have the technical capacity. [Health] problems need to be discussed publicly, and the public needs to be more aware. Campaigns like this do just that – they show empathy, and they inform". The theme of this year's World Epilepsy Day is Together for Support and Awareness.

There are more than 20,000 children suffering from epilepsy in Bulgaria, according to Veska Sabeva, President of the Association of Parents with Children with Epilepsy. She told BTA that there is no official register of epilepsy patients in Bulgaria. According to the World Health Organization, 1% of all Bulgarians have epilepsy. One in three of the nearly 65,000 Bulgarians affected by the disease are children, Sabeva added. About 28,000 Bulgarian patients are treated with medicines paid for by the National Health Insurance Fund.

A virtual exhibition entitled I Love Life launched on Monday will be featured on the Association's Facebook page. The exhibition features art created by epileptics of all ages.

Epilepsy is a chronic brain disorder of various causes, characterized by recurrent seizures due to excessive discharges from nerve cells in the brain. Some 50 million people worldwide suffer from this condition. To mark this year's International Epilepsy Day, dozens of iconic buildings around the world will be illuminated in purple on Monday.