Students at the British University in Egypt’s Faculty of Pharmacy have launched a new awareness campaign on children with autism in Egypt.

The student campaign aims at raising awareness on autism at Egyptian schools, while also emphasising the rights of affected children. The group of year five Pharmacy students organized an awareness campaign about autism as a part of their graduation project under the supervision of Dr. Mostafa Helmy and TA Roaa Noah. The campaign visited Elsweedy Language School to deliver adequate information about the disease and how to deal with it. The students discussed how to identify autism in children, whilst also  raising awareness of other conditions such asDown Syndrome.

In 2017, the number of people in Egypt diagnosed with autism was estimated at roughly 800,000, according to the Ministry of Social Solidarity. One in every 160 children show signs of having the condition, with it being reported at a higher rate among men than women.

Previous studies have indicated that high and moderate socioeconomic status as well as consanguinity, increase the risk for autism and ASDs in Egypt.