May 23, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 87 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages S3117-S3118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 225--SUPPORTING THE GOALS OF INTERNATIONAL MYALGIC 
        ENCEPHALOMYELITIS/CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME AWARENESS DAY

  Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. 
Coons, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Booker, Mr. Van Hollen, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
King, Ms. Stabenow, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Casey, Ms. Harris, and Ms. Warren) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 225

       Whereas the National Academy of Medicine (referred to in 
     this preamble as ``NAM''), 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 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 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 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 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'';
       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

[[Page S3118]]

       Whereas, in 2019, May 12 is recognized as International ME/
     CFS Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals of International Myalgic 
     Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day;
       (2) recognizes and affirms the commitment of the United 
     States to--
       (A) supporting research and medical education for Myalgic 
     Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; and
       (B) promoting awareness among health professionals and the 
     public about Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue 
     Syndrome; and
       (3) recognizes the continued importance of--
       (A) health care professionals and medical researchers who 
     care for individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic 
     Fatigue Syndrome; and
       (B) those who work to discover the cause of, and develop 
     and improve diagnosis of, treatments for, and a cure for, 
     Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

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