IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 399 

Supporting the goals and ideals of International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ 

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 22, 2019 

Ms. LOFGREN (for herself, Mr. BERGMAN, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, and 

Mr. JOYCE of Ohio) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

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; 


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•HRES 399 IH 

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’’; 


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•HRES 399 IH 

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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the goals of International Myalgic 

3 Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 

4 Awareness Day; 

5 (2) recognizes and affirms the commitment of 

6 the United States to— 

7 (A) supporting research and medical edu8 cation for ME/CFS; and 

9 (B) promoting awareness among health 

10 professionals and the public about ME/CFS; 

11 and 

12 (3) recognizes the continued importance of— 

13 (A) health care professionals and medical 

14 researchers who care for individuals with ME/ 

15 CFS; and 


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•HRES 399 IH 

1 (B) those who work to discover the cause 

2 of, and develop and improve diagnosis of, treat3 ments for, and a cure for, ME/CFS. 

Æ 


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