A resolution supporting the goals of International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day.

III 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 225 Supporting the goals of International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 23 (legislative day, MAY 22), 2019 Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. COONS, Mr. HOEVEN, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mrs. FEIN- STEIN, Mr. KING, Ms. STABENOW, Ms. SINEMA, Mr. CASEY, Ms. HARRIS, and Ms. WARREN) submitted the following resolution; which was consid- ered and agreed to RESOLUTION Supporting the goals of International Myalgic Encephalomy- elitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day. Whereas the National Academy of Medicine (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘NAM’’), formerly known as the Insti- tute 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:30 May 24, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR225.ATS SR225 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 225 ATS by ME/CFS worldwide, and the vast majority of individ- uals 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 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 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 less than 1⁄3 of medical school curricula; 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 (referred to in this pre- amble as the ‘‘NIH’’) is ‘‘committed to unraveling the underlying biologic cause(s) of ME/CFS as swiftly as pos- sible, and promoting research that will inform the devel- VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:30 May 24, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR225.ATS SR225 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 225 ATS opment of effective strategies for treatment and preven- tion 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 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 Senate— 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 Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic 8 Fatigue Syndrome; and 9 (B) promoting awareness among health 10 professionals and the public about Myalgic En- 11 cephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; and 12 (3) recognizes the continued importance of— 13 (A) health care professionals and medical 14 researchers who care for individuals with 15 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:30 May 24, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR225.ATS SR225 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 225 ATS Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue 1 Syndrome; and 2 (B) those who work to discover the cause 3 of, and develop and improve diagnosis of, treat- 4 ments for, and a cure for, Myalgic Encephalo- 5 myelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:30 May 24, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR225.ATS SR225 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS