WED Appeal

On the 1st February 2025 we launch our World Encephalitis Day Appeal – countdown to change.
Inspired by a petition signed by 27,678 of you, our encephalitis community, from 128 countries to “Show the World Health Organization that encephalitis matters” in 2019, this year’s World Encephalitis Day appeal, and campaign more broadly, marks a seminal moment in the history of encephalitis and Encephalitis International. Some six years later we will be seeing the publication of a technical brief, similar to that on Parkinson disease in 2022, which is aimed at policymakers, government and health officials globally, asking them to recognise the problem of encephalitis and be open to solutions on topics such as better surveillance, improved diagnostics and treatments and furthering research.
Our World Encephalitis Day appeal counts down the key moments in initiating this change, perhaps our proudest advocacy piece on behalf of the encephalitis community to date. The countdown to change culminates in recognising we need the financial backing to launch ambitious projects like global training modules for healthcare professionals and delivering cheap diagnostic tools in resource-poor countries (as two examples), and so we are proud to launch our WED Fund aiming to raise £50,000 by the end of World Encephalitis Day 2025.
To get involved we are asking members of our community to:
- Donate – no matter how small or big, we will only reach our target with the backing of our community
- Set up a fundraiser – on the JustGiving Appeal page, which will be live from the 1st Feb 2025, you can start a fundraiser linked to the appeal. This could be anything from a physical challenge to a bake sale to simply setting up a page with your story and reasons for supporting the appeal
- Share our appeal – cost free! If you’re unable to give yourself, please share our appeal on social media, with your family, friends, colleagues and wider network to help
Click here to see our appeal page and show your support today!