A CHARITY which supports families affected by a devastating brain injury has seen a 60 per cent surge in demand for its services during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The Encephalitis Society, which has its global headquarters in Malton, has been inundated with enquiries from people who need support and information about the condition, an inflammation of the brain.
It comes amid new research, in which the charity has been central, which suggests that Covid-19 is causing encephalitis in about six per cent of patients who develop neurological complications.
Dr Ava Easton, chief executive of the Encephalitis Society, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has been one of the most challenging periods for the Encephalitis Society in our 25-year history. At the outset of the pandemic we had no idea we were going to be so central in the research that followed.
“Over the past four months, demand for our services has increased by an average of 62 per cent with enquiries from the USA, UK, Australia, India and many other countries. At its peak we were dealing with an uplift in demand of 113 per cent.
“We have lost income from fundraisers, our small investments have taken a hit, and our staff are working from home while we also cope with a huge increase in demand for our support services as a direct result of the pandemic.
“This is, of course, a small grumble when compared to the hundreds of thousands of lives that have been lost and the hardships faced by health professionals, the general public, and charities and businesses in Ryedale and around the world.
“The research is still emerging, but the first UK study published in the Lancet Psychiatry revealed that Covid-19 is causing brain complications, such as encephalitis, stroke and psychosis.
“The findings suggest that about six per cent of these patients are developing encephalitis which would result in a profound impact on our services. Since we wrote up this work, subsequent investigations are now suggesting we might even be looking at a figure double that.
“Further time is needed to provide a clear overall picture about the neurological impact on patients, however it does highlight how we need to investigate the possible effects of Covid-19 on the brain and to study potential treatments.”
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