III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 508 

Supporting the goals of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 

International Awareness Day. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 15, 2018 

Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mr. KING, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, and Ms. COLLINS) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic 

Fatigue Syndrome International Awareness Day. 

Whereas the Health and Medicine Division of the National 

Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘HMD’’), formerly known 

as the Institute of Medicine, has found Myalgic 

Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (referred to 

in this preamble as ‘‘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 


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•SRES 508 IS 

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 that persists for decades and leaves 1⁄4 of individuals with ME/CFS housebound or bedbound, often for years; 

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 

$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 HMD has noted a ‘‘paucity of research’’ on ME/ 

CFS and that ‘‘more research is essential’’; 

Whereas individuals with ME/CFS struggle to find doctors 

who are willing and able to care for them and ME/CFS 

is included in less than 1⁄3 of medical curricula; 

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 (referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘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’’; 


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•SRES 508 IS 

Whereas, in 2017, 11 Institutes at the NIH that participate 

in the Trans-NIH Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Working Group 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 2018, May 12 is recognized as International 

Awareness Day for ME/CFS and other neurological conditions: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the goals of Myalgic 

3 Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Inter4 national Awareness Day; 

5 (2) recognizes and affirms the commitment of 

6 the United States to— 

7 (A) discovering the cause of, and a cure 

8 for, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue 

9 Syndrome; and 

10 (B) improving the availability and quality 

11 of medical care for individuals with Myalgic 

12 Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; 

13 and 

14 (3) encourages— 

15 (A) the National Institutes of Health and 

16 other Federal agencies to work with experts, 

17 stakeholders, and individuals with Myalgic 


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•SRES 508 IS 

1 Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 

2 to— 

3 (i) consider the recommendations of 

4 the National Academies of Sciences, Engi5 neering, and Medicine relating to Myalgic 

6 Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syn7 drome; and 

8 (ii) support research to discover the 

9 cause of, and a cure for, Myalgic 

10 Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syn11 drome; and 

12 (B) the medical community to enhance 

13 practitioner training to provide appropriate and 

14 accessible care for individuals with Myalgic 

15 Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. 

Æ 


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