I have recently had the privilege of being elected vice- president of the European Parliament’s Epilepsy Working Group. Epilepsy, a condition that affects one in every 100 teenagers, causes the brain to seize up due to momentary glitches in its neurological activity. Most seizures last only a few seconds and, while some affect only part of the brain, many result in a general seizure of the brain’s activity. The effects differ from loss of consciousness, stiffness of the body and jerking of limbs, loss of awareness and aimless movements.

The aim of the working group is to raise greater awareness of this often overlooked condition that affects people from every walk of life and to ensure that adequate resources are available for research to normalise, as far as possible, the life of epilepsy sufferers.

The condition, which historically carried a painful social stigma, has only lately started to be better understood.

Thanks to medical advances, seizures can now be brought under control or kept to a minimum.

Yet, almost a third of sufferers continue to experience seizures and almost 40 per cent still do not receive proper medical treatment. Through our activities in the Epilepsy Working Group we aim to target precisely this bracket: those worst affected and those who, for various reasons, do not have access to the professional care they require.

We aim to help epilepsy sufferers to integrate as much as possible and to lead normal lives within our society. We also want them and their families to have the best quality of life and, thus, we are calling on the European Commission to further encourage research and innovation in the area of treatment as well as prevention and early diagnosis.

Many people with epilepsy have been socially marginalised throughout the years despite the fact that the condition does not preclude sufferers from engaging in most sorts of professional, educational and physical activity. Given the correct medication, young sufferers can also attend regular schools and this should be the norm.

In more than 70 per cent of cases the cause of epilepsy cannot be identified though it can sometimes be linked to head trauma, maternal injuries (during pregnancy) and brain tumours. It is therefore important to step up research into the condition to offer better treatment to sufferers. What we do know is that epilepsy is neither contagious nor hereditary.

Epilepsy affects primarily those of a young age. In fact, more than one-fifth of cases develop before the age of five. We should nevertheless keep in mind those who are diagnosed with the condition at an older age. These persons may find it difficult to secure jobs and to integrate properly into society. It is our duty to ensure they are not cast aside. It is our responsibility to see that their particular needs are met when it comes to education, employment, transport and health care.

There is a lot more we can do. This is not just the case for epilepsy but for all other conditions for which awareness and proper care is lacking.

In my newly-acquired role, working in tandem with other MEPs, I hope to bring the needs of epilepsy sufferers to bear on EU health policy. At the EU level, it should be possible to make substantial strides forward for the benefit of epilepsy sufferers and their families.

The author is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.