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

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 re- ferred 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 individ- uals with ME/CFS are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:28 May 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR399.IH HR399 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •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 can- not work or attend school; Whereas medical expenses and lost productivity related to ME/CFS cost the economy of the United States an esti- mated $17,000,000,000 to $24,000,000,000 annually; Whereas the cause of ME/CFS is unknown, there is no diag- nostic test for ME/CFS, and there is no treatment for ME/CFS that is approved by the Food and Drug Admin- istration; 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 individ- uals 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 treat- ment and prevention of this devastating condition’’; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:28 May 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR399.IH HR399 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •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 Collabo- rative Research Centers and a Data Management Coordi- nating 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, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the goals of International Myalgic 2 Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 3 Awareness Day; 4 (2) recognizes and affirms the commitment of 5 the United States to— 6 (A) supporting research and medical edu- 7 cation for ME/CFS; and 8 (B) promoting awareness among health 9 professionals and the public about ME/CFS; 10 and 11 (3) recognizes the continued importance of— 12 (A) health care professionals and medical 13 researchers who care for individuals with ME/ 14 CFS; and 15 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:28 May 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR399.IH HR399 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HRES 399 IH (B) those who work to discover the cause 1 of, and develop and improve diagnosis of, treat- 2 ments for, and a cure for, ME/CFS. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:28 May 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR399.IH HR399 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS