Supporting the goals and ideals of International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day.

Supporting the goals and ideals of International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day.

Whereas the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly known as the Institute of Medicine, has found Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) to be “a serious, chronic, complex, and systemic disease that frequently and dramatically limits the activities of affected patients”;

Whereas between 836,000 and 2,500,000 individuals of all ages, races, and sexes in the United States are believed to be afflicted with ME/CFS, with millions more afflicted by ME/CFS worldwide, and the vast majority of individuals with ME/CFS are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed;

Whereas ME/CFS is approximately 4 times more prevalent in women than in men;

Whereas ME/CFS is a chronic disease with no known cure and leaves ¹⁄4 of individuals with ME/CFS housebound or bedbound for extended periods of time;

Whereas 50 to 75 percent of individuals with ME/CFS cannot work or attend school;

Whereas medical expenses and lost productivity related to ME/CFS cost the economy of the United States an estimated $17,000,000,000 to $24,000,000,000 annually;

Whereas the cause of ME/CFS is unknown, there is no diagnostic test for ME/CFS, and there is no treatment for ME/CFS that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration;

Whereas NAM has noted a “paucity of research” on ME/CFS and that “more research is essential”;

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called ME/CFS “America’s Hidden Health Crisis”;

Whereas individuals with ME/CFS struggle to find doctors to care for them, and ME/CFS is included in the curricula of fewer than ¹⁄3 of medical schools;

Whereas in recognition of the dearth of research on ME/CFS and the profound impact that the disease has on individuals with ME/CFS and their loved ones and caretakers, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is “committed to unraveling the underlying biologic cause(s) of ME/CFS as swiftly as possible, and promoting research that will inform the development of effective strategies for treatment and prevention of this devastating condition”;

Whereas, in 2017, 11 Institutes at the NIH and the Office of the Director of the NIH contributed more than $7,000,000 in grants to assist in establishing Collaborative Research Centers and a Data Management Coordinating Center to improve the coordination of ME/CFS research and help accelerate understanding of ME/CFS; and

Whereas, in 2019, May 12 is recognized as International ME/CFS Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved,