Encephalitis International
 | This article contains promotional content. (September 2022) |
| Formation | 1994 |
|---|---|
| Type | Not-for-profit organisation |
| Registration no. | Charity no: 1087843 |
| Purpose | Charitable |
| Location |
|
Region served | Area served: worldwide |
Key people | Dr Ava Easton (Chief Executive)
Phillippa Chapman (Deputy Chief Executive) Prof Tom Solomon (President) |
| Revenue | £1,308,233 |
| Staff | 15 |
| Volunteers | 68 |
| Website | www |
Encephalitis International (formerly the Encephalitis Society) is a not-for-profit organisation providing information and support for those affected by encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, raising awareness and funding and collaborating on research on the condition.
The organisation provides support and opportunities to connect for individuals and families whose lives have been impacted by encephalitis. It funds, collaborates, and promotes research into all aspects of this condition. It also raises awareness of encephalitis among the public and medical and health professionals.
The chief executive is Dr Ava Easton who is also a researcher (Honorary Fellow in the Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Liverpool) and global expert on encephalitis patient outcomes and quality of life.
Work
[edit]Encephalitis International provides support and information to people affected by encephalitis directly or indirectly, raises awareness of encephalitis, and drives research into the neurological condition by working with a variety of professionals and organisations from health, social care, and education globally.
Support and information
[edit]The Support Service at Encephalitis International provides support and information via telephone helpline, email, online chat on their website, and Zoom sessions on request. The charity holds virtual webinars and support groups, as well as face-to-face events, weekends for children and their families. It also developed a global volunteer scheme called Team Encephalitis.
Encephalitis International has a resource library[1] on paper and online, and provides information in digital formats: e-learning, animations and videos. All their information is peer-reviewed and accredited by the Patient Information Forum Tick for trusted health information. In 2025 their website was viewed 527,122 times, and 1,287 people contacted their support services.
They offer further support through story sharing, their ''My Brain'' event series connecting people with each other and healthcare professional experts on the condition and through translated resources such as their YouTube animation series.
Research
[edit]Encephalitis International funds and collaborates on research into encephalitis and its consequences. It holds the go-to international annual conference for professionals on the condition, last year welcoming 531 delegates from 80 countries.
It works in conjunction with several universities to develop research, most notably Oxford University, University of Liverpool, and University College London (UCL) and King's College London.
It collaborates with a worldwide brain infectious group, and other encephalitis organisations worldwide.
The charity awards annual grant funding through seed funding, PhD and Fellowships. They also give travel bursaries to medical students and junior physicians in low-to-middle income countries to attend the Encephalitis Conference.
It works in partnership with other neurological charities and health organisations at national and international level, to support rapid diagnosis and access to services.
Its Scientific Advisory Panel consists of experts in encephalitis, including as of 2026[update] Tom Solomon, Angela Vincent, and Sarosh R Irani, B.M., B.Ch., D.Phil. The vice chair of the panel is Assoc. Prof Kiran Thakur, and the chair is Prof. Benedict Michael.
In February 2025 the World Health Organization published a Technical Brief on encephalitis, describing the condition as a ''growing global threat'' and an ''urgent public health priority''. Funded and launched by Encephalitis International, this brief followed year's of advocacy by the charity, and now aims to reshape the global landscape of encephalitis awareness, diagnosis, treatment and patient care.
Fundraising
[edit]Encephalitis International is supported by a range of individual, company and grant-making supporters. Individual supporters are encouraged to take part in a range of physical, digital and other challenges through the charity's Fundraise For Us webpages as well as helping support the charity financially through making one-off, regular and appeal based donations. In 2023, Encephalitis International's "Don't Delay: Give Today" appeal raised over £43,000 from supporters across the world towards beginning the design and implementation of training opportunities for medical professionals globally.
Encephalitis International works with a range of local, national, and international organisations in partnerships that demonstrate their shared vision of a world aware of encephalitis, inspire and unite colleagues, and bring lasting benefits for the organisation and the 1.5 million people affected by encephalitis worldwide every year. On their "become a corporate partner" webpages, these organisations are listed from a range of sectors such as pharmaceutical, diagnostic, legal, travel health and marketing. In 2023, the charity launched its 22 Club, inviting supporters from the business world to join this networking club with funds raised going towards the delivery of the award-winning awareness campaign World Encephalitis Day, taking place on 22 February each year.
Encephalitis International is supported by a range of charitable trusts and foundations as well as philanthropists. In 2021, the Changemakers Collaborative was launched to bring together individuals and organisations positioned to help fund crucial projects that will help achieve the charity's mission of a world without death and disability from encephalitis.
Statistics
[edit]1.5 million people a year worldwide are affected by encephalitis.[2] 6,000 children and adults in the UK are affected with the condition each year (Case for Support 2021 Pg.4)
Mortality, depending on the cause, is up to 40%.[3]
77% of people around the world do not know what encephalitis is.[2]
Encephalitis has a higher incidence than motor neurone disease, bacterial meningitis and multiple sclerosis in several countries.[2]
Activities
[edit]Encephalitis International provides support and information to people affected directly or indirectly by encephalitis, and to a variety of professionals and organisations from health, social care and education globally.[4]
It holds weekends for families, online peer support groups and operates a global volunteer scheme called Team Encephalitis. The charity has information on paper and via the World Wide Web. World Encephalitis Day was created by the charity in 2014, and fundraising events are run. The charity collaborates and funds research into encephalitis and its consequences, and holds an annual conference on the condition and annual competitions and travel bursaries for medical students and junior physicians. The charity works with other neurological charities and health organisations.[5]
In September 2017, it was named the Charity Times Charity of the Year with an income less than £1 million.[6]
Awards
[edit]Encephalitis International has won numerous awards. In January 2024 the charity re-branded from The Encephalitis Society to Encephalitis International and so some are listed under it's old name. These awards include:
- Silver Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Award for World Encephalitis Day 2014
- BMA Patient Information Awards 2016 – Highly Commended
- 2017 Charity Times' Charity of the Year;[7] with an income less than £1 million
- Charity Times' Fundraising Technology of the Year[8] (2018)
- Best use of Digital, Digital Impact Awards[9] (2018)
- Charity Comms' Inspiring Communicator Award[10] (2019) for Dr Ava Easton
- Social CEO of the Year Award[11] in The Social CEO Awards (2019) for Dr Ava Easton
- Celebrity Charity Champion and Communications Campaign of the Year[12] in the Third Sector Awards (2019)
- Best use of digital by a charity, NGO or NFP[13] (bronze) in the 2021 Digital Impact Awards
- Nominated for Fundraising Team of The Year in the Third Sector Awards (2022)[14]
- Fundraising Team of the Year at the 2022 Charity Times awards
- Dr Ava Easton was Highly Commended for Charity Leader of the Year at the 2022 Charity Times Awards.
- Best use of online video - Highly Commended - at the 2024 European Digital Impact Awards.
References
[edit]- ↑ "About Encephalitis".
- 1 2 3 "Our Accounts". 22 June 2017.
- ↑ Jmor, Fidan (2008). "The incidence of acute encephalitis syndrome in Western industrialised and tropical countries". Virology Journal. 5, Article number: 134 (2008): 134. doi:10.1186/1743-422X-5-134. PMC 2583971. PMID 18973679.
- ↑ Name. "The Encephalitis Society | ACNR | Online Neurology Journal". www.acnr.co.uk. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- ↑ "Research Initiative Established to Understand Neuroinflammation's Impact on Brain Diseases". 17 October 2023.
- ↑ "Awards - Winners 2017". Charity Times.
- ↑ Charity of the Year
- ↑ Fundraising Technology of the Year
- ↑ Best use of Digital, Digital Impact Awards
- ↑ Inspiring Communicator Award
- ↑ Social CEO of the Year Award
- ↑ Celebrity Charity Champion and Communications Campaign of the Year
- ↑ Best use of digital by a charity, NGO or NFP
- ↑ Third Sector Awards (2022)