Illinois asked to recognise 12th May as ME/CFS Awareness Day

In February 2025, the State of Illinois has designated May as Lyme Disease Awareness month throughout the ‘Land of Lincoln’ and now Illinois’ General assembly has been asked to recognise and designate 12th May as ME/CFS Awareness Day.

The Bill as presented narrates that –

WHEREAS over 65 million people worldwide, including those suffering from long COVID and other post-viral conditions, now face similar challenges, highlighting the urgent need for increased biomedical research, healthcare provider education,and public awareness of infection-associated chronic conditions; and

WHEREAS, The economic impact of ME/CFS in the U.S. alone is estimated to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars annually due to lost productivity, medical costs, and the need for full-time caregiving; and

WHEREAS, Recognizing ME/CFS and related conditions as serious public health concerns will help accelerate research funding, improve clinical care, and promote policies that support affected individuals and their families; therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare May 12, 2025 as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day in the State of Illinois in recognition of the millions of people living with ME/CFS and related post-infectious diseases;