Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, has released the following statement to recognize B.C.’s first Concussion Awareness Week from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2, 2021:

“As minister responsible for sport and as a former rugby player, I want everyone to be aware of the dangers of concussions and know how to recognize the symptoms.

“Concussions are the most common form of brain injury, and this week has been designated to increase public understanding of how to prevent, recognize, respond to and manage concussions.

“A concussion is a traumatic injury to the brain caused by an impact or forceful motion of the head or another part of the body that results in rapid movement of the brain within the skull. Concussions can occur from fights, falls, playground injuries, car crashes and during sports, to name a few causes.

“A concussion can happen anytime, anywhere and at any age. School-aged children are at greater risk of concussions, take longer to recover and may experience long-lasting effects. Signs of a concussion include difficulty with balance, memory problems, dizziness, blurry or double vision, disorientation, confusion and headache or ‘pressure’ in the head.

“If left untreated and undetected, these symptoms can become long term. In some cases, concussions can lead to death. However, early recognition of a concussion helps ensure an injured person can access timely medical attention and treatment, giving them the best chance of recovery.

“In support of British Columbia Concussion Awareness Week, I encourage people to develop a better understanding of this important health issue. The BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit, in partnership with the B.C. Children’s Hospital and Child Health BC, has put together a Concussion Awareness Week Toolkit: cattonline.com/concussion-awareness-week-toolkit-2/.

“There are also excellent resources and information here: www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/tp23364spec.

“Government partners, such as SportMed BC, viaSport, BC School Sports and provincial sport organizations like Rugby BC, BC Hockey, BC Provincial Football Association, along with national sport organizations, offer training and resources to help make sport safer.

“Working together, we can protect each other and reduce the health risks of concussions.”

For a French translation, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021TACS0062-001840#translations