2006 Campaign, M.E.- More than you know

22 February 2006

Information about the 2006 campaign: M.E.- More than you know, is now available.
The Action for M.E. website has been updated to support this year’s campaign activities. We are developing a special section to publish the many narratives – which detail what it is really like to live with M.E. You can, read extracts from a number of the narratives that we have received from our members.

Your stories make powerful reading, and we have used them to inform our campaign strategy and activities.  Thank you for taking the time to write to us.

For this year’s campaign we are also undertaking a survey on the severity and impact of M.E./CFS/PVFS. The survey has been sent out to 2,000 AfME members 

We are waiting to finalise and confirm many of our plans for MEAW. So we are asking that you regularly check the website for new developments. We should be adding new pages to the section very soon!

Link Between CFS and Glandular Fever

02 March 2006

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and glandular fever link.
A seven year study investigating acute glandular fever caused by the Epstein-Barr virus believe there is a link between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and glandular fever.

Head researcher of the Australian team, professor Andrew Lloyd said the study suggested some patients suffered brain  injuries soon after contracting glandular fever and never fully recovered from the disease.

In about 10 per cent of sufferers, long after the virus has left the body, the researchers speculate the brain remains inflamed,    taking months, or even longer, to heal – hence a diagnosis of chronic fatigue.

For further information:

The Australian ABC news IOL website Science daily

Disclaimer: Action for M.E. is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Crop Spraying and the Health of Residents and    Bystanders

08 February 2006

The Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) disagree with the buffer zone          recommendations of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP).

The RCEP advocate such buffer zones      because of uncertainties relating to possible risks of complex multisystem disorders such as chronic fatigue  syndrome (CFS) and    multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), and also in the estimation of realistic upper limits for the exposures of bystanders. The ACP agree that there are scientific uncertainties in these areas that warrant further research, but think that they are minor, and no greater than the      uncertainties that exist in other aspects of  human health risk assessment for pesticides, or for many other environmental health     hazards.

The ACP state they believe it unlikely that       pesticide toxicity contributes importantly to CFS or MCS.  The ACP also seriously    question the RCEP’s recommendation for systematic surveillance of chronic diseases linked to pesticide exposures. They sate: “There is no valid method by which chronic disease can be attributed to pesticide         exposure in an individual case, and therefore, the data generated would be of little value to risk assessment.”

The ACP state “We agree with the RCEP that CFS and related disorders warrant further
research.  They give rise to serious disability, and we need a better understanding of their causes, and of the ways in which they can be prevented and managed most                     effectively . However, we do not accept that    uncertainties about a possible causal role of pesticides are sufficient to justify additional restrictions on spraying. There is no            indication that any specified reduction in   exposure would reduce their incidence.”