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Port Orange proclaims Feb. 22 World Encephalitis Day; local organizers plan Nov. 8 awareness walk and medical conference
Summary
City leaders read a proclamation recognizing World Encephalitis Day and local organizers said they will stage an inclusive awareness walk Nov. 8 and host a visiting specialist to provide medical education in Volusia County.
Mayor Scott Stilner read a proclamation declaring Feb. 22, 2025, as World Encephalitis Day in Port Orange and invited residents to mark the date.
The proclamation noted that encephalitis — inflammation of the brain — can be life-threatening, that an estimated 20,000 people in the United States and 500,000 worldwide are affected each year, and that greater public awareness is needed. "I, Scott Stilner, mayor of the city of Port Orange, do hereby proclaim 02/22/2025 as encephalitis day in the city of Port Orange," Stilner said while reading the document.
Kat Atwood, who said she and her husband Ken are raising awareness after a rare diagnosis affecting her, told the council the Atwoods have used a Facebook page, Team Atwood, to connect with families and clinicians. "This is a disease that is not known and it needs to be known," Kat Atwood said, describing the couple’s outreach and noting the couple intends the event to be accessible to people of all abilities.
Ken Atwood and Kat Atwood told the council they have secured local support for a Port Orange "catwalk" scheduled for Nov. 8 and plan a concurrent medical education event for clinicians, with a visiting specialist from the U.K. to speak to regional health-care staff. Ken Atwood said the visiting doctor has experience identifying rare encephalitis strains and that organizers hope the clinical session will improve diagnostic speed: "It takes 5 to 6 doctors to figure out that they have to see before anybody gets in the ballpark of what it is," he said.
Organizers asked the city to light the bridge lights on the lake for World Encephalitis Day, repeating an action taken last year. Mayor Stilner said staff would work with organizers and that he would invite council members to participate in a photo after the proclamation.
The Atwoods asked that the city share their Team Atwood Facebook page on the city's web channels; Kat Atwood asked residents and medical professionals to participate in the global "#RedForWED" campaign by wearing red and posting on social media.
The proclamation and organizers’ remarks were presented during the council’s public comment/recognition portion of the meeting. No formal action beyond the proclamation reading was required.
