ME/CFS is a severe neurological disease. Most cases of ME/CFS are triggered by infection, often a virus. Before the pandemic, there were millions of people in the US living with ME/CFS.
When the pandemic began, disability advocates warned government officials that millions more would develop ME/CFS and other infection-associated chronic illnesses due to COVID.
Now, half of the Long COVID community meets the diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS. This more than quadrupled the number of people living with ME/CFS in the US.
The main symptom people with ME/CFS and Long COVID experience is post-exertional malaise (PEM). This means even small acts of physical or cognitive effort can make their symptoms worse.
25% of people with ME are housebound or bedbound, and only ~13% are able to work full-time. People with severe ME are often forced to exist in their beds in isolation for years.
People with ME/CFS and Long COVID demand:
A warp speed responsePatients to lead the charge Societal and economic support
Our lives