BY MORGAN RYAN

The City of DeLand will now recognize Encephalitis Awareness Day, as proclaimed by Mayor Chris Cloudman in a City Commission meeting Feb. 17.

Encephalitis is a rare neurological disease that causes inflammation in the brain. In the United States, it is contracted most commonly from a bite from an infected mosquito. An average of 11 people in the United States are diagnosed with the disease every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease is fatal in about one third of cases, and those who survive are left with lifelong physical and mental disabilities, including paralysis, personality disorders and seizures.

Mayor Cloudman says he was inspired to commemorate the day by a friend who was recently diagnosed with the disease.

“It is imperative that there be greater public awareness of this serious health issue,” Cloudman said.

Kat Atwood, who inspired the mayor’s proclamation, contracted encephalitis in 2023. She had just been elected to serve on the Port Orange City Council, but had to resign from the position following her diagnosis.

She now devotes her time to raising awareness of encephalitis and advocating for the people affected.  

“We’ve taken our mission away from one city and decided to take on the world,” Atwood said. “These proclamations are instrumental to helping us educate others.”

To celebrate the new holiday, the City of DeLand lit up the Historic Volusia County Courthouse water fountain red to represent the disease and to highlight the importance of raising awareness.