[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 114 (Monday, June 22, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S3128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 633--SUPPORTING THE GOALS OF INTERNATIONAL MYALGIC 
        ENCEPHALOMYELITIS/CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME AWARENESS DAY

  Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Stabenow, 
Mr. Booker, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Harris, Ms. Warren, Ms. Sinema, and Mr. 
Cramer) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 633

       Whereas the National Academy of Medicine (referred to in 
     this preamble as ``NAM''), formerly known as the Institute of 
     Medicine, has found that Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic 
     Fatigue Syndrome (referred to in this preamble as ``ME/CFS'') 
     is ``a serious, chronic, complex, and systemic disease that 
     frequently and dramatically limits the activities of affected 
     patients'';
       Whereas, in the past, outbreaks of viruses, including 
     outbreaks of coronaviruses, have triggered an increase in ME/
     CFS-like symptoms in individuals infected by those viruses;
       Whereas--
       (1) 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, and millions of additional individuals 
     are afflicted by ME/CFS worldwide; and
       (2) 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 between 50 and 75 percent of individuals with ME/
     CFS cannot work or attend school;
       Whereas, in the United States, the economic toll of ME/CFS 
     is $51,000,000,000 per year, including as much as 
     $14,000,000,000 in medical costs and $37,000,000,000 in lost 
     productivity;
       Whereas the cause of ME/CFS is unknown, there is no 
     diagnostic test for ME/CFS, and there is no treatment for ME/
     CFS 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 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 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''; and
       Whereas, in 2020, 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) individuals who work to discover the cause of, and 
     develop and improve the diagnosis of, treatments for, and a 
     cure for, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

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