The month of November is designated as “Epilepsy Awareness Month” to increase public awareness and understanding of epilepsy.

It is the intent of the general assembly in enacting this section to increase public awareness and understanding of epilepsy. The general assembly considers it vitally important that the state join with the epilepsy foundation in formally designating November as “Epilepsy Awareness Month.” According to the United States centers for disease control and prevention (CDC), epilepsy currently affects approximately 2.7 million Americans – roughly one of every one hundred individuals – with as many as 180,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Epilepsy afflicts people of all ages, but especially the very young and the elderly. The CDC estimates that about ten per cent of Americans will experience a seizure during their lifetime, and about three per cent will be diagnosed with epilepsy by age eighty.