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Teens Lack Knowledge on Seizures
(HealthScoutNews)
-- Many American teenagers don't know what to do if a friend has
an epileptic seizure, says a survey by the Epilepsy Foundation.
One in 100 American teens has epilepsy,
but 68 percent of teenagers in the survey said they wouldn't know
how to help someone having a seizure.
In order to address that lack of
awareness, the Epilepsy Foundation is focusing on seizure education
during the second year of its "Entitled to Respect"
public information campaign.
The campaign's goal is to increase
awareness of epilepsy among all teenagers and 10-12 years olds,
to provide them with the knowledge to help when someone's having
a seizure, and to increase respect for children and teenagers
who have epilepsy.
Most epileptic seizures last a
minute or two and are not an emergency. But it's important to
know basic first aid.
Here are nine recommended steps
for dealing with a person having an epileptic seizure:
- Cushion the person's head and
remove her glasses if necessary.
- Loosen tight clothing.
- Turn the person on her side.
- Time the seizure with a watch.
- If the seizure lasts more than
five minutes, call for medical help.
- Don't put anything in her mouth.
- Look for medical I.D.
- Do not hold the person down.
- As the seizure ends, offer the
person help and support.
More Information
To learn more, visit the Entitled
to Respect Web site.
Reference
Source 101
For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick
Prevention Resources".
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