THE family of a leading university lecturer who was infected with a virus in south-east China are lending their support to a Ryedale-based charity aiming to raise awareness about the brain condition.

Dr Sophie Williams, who is paralysed and on life support, is receiving treatment in Bangor Hospital, Wales, after being diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis in July.

Her father, Mike Williams, owner of Castlegate News, in Malton, said they had now been told there was now no prospect of any physical improvement.

“Unfortunately this means that Sophie will remain permanently paralysed and is likely to remain on a ventilator,” he said.

“Mentally she seems to be getting slighter brighter and is able to talk to a limited extent.”

Mr Williams said Sophie would remain in hospital where she would receive extensive physio treatment for the next six months.

He said: “It is then hoped she can be transferred to a rehabilitation centre where she will continue her treatment for a further few months and then hopefully return to the home she shared in Bangor with her partner Robert where a specially-trained care team will look after her.”

Sophie, a highly-respected conservation expert who has given talks around the world, was undertaking botanical research with students from Bangor University 400 miles from the city of Kunming, in Yuannan Province, when she fell ill in July. She was diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis, a serious strain of the virus, which is passed on to humans through mosquito bites, causing swelling to the brain which carries a risk of death or can lead to brain injury.

Mr Williams said The Encephalitis Society, which is based just doors away from his newsagents in Malton, had been extremely supportive.

“The help and support we have received from The Encephalitis Society has been second to none. They have always been there when we have needed them,” he said.

The third annual World Encephalitis Day on Monday will see supporters of The Encephalitis Society highlight the condition.

They are being encouraged to wear an item of red clothing – or an official World Encephalitis Day T-shirt – and spread the message about encephalitis.

The Encephalitis Society, which celebrated its 21st anniversary last year, was founded in Malton and is the leading resource of its kind in the world.

Dr Ava Easton, chief executive, said: “World Encephalitis Day continues to grow year on year, but we still have a long way to go to make the majority of the public aware of a condition which affects around half a million people across the world each year and is more common than Motor Neurone Disease and bacterial meningitis."

“The sad fact is that not many people have heard of encephalitis unless it has happened to them, or to a family member or friend. We want to change that.”

For more information, go to worldencephalitisday.org