UPDATE 24 May 2023: Presentations of the ME/CFS Symposium now available online
On 12 May 2023, the International ME/CFS Awareness Day, the Charité Fatigue Centrum will host a public symposium on the current status of projects for the care and research of ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). The patron of the symposium is Prof. Dr. Karl Lauterbach, Federal Minister of Health in Germany.
After the opening of the symposium by Federal Minister Lauterbach, leading experts from various clinics will present current projects dealing with medical care, research and therapy development for ME/CFS. Other presentations will focus on private research funding by foundations and the commitment of patient organisations in these areas.
ME/CFS occurs after infectious diseases, such as Epstein-Barr or influenza viruses. The disease can also develop as a severe consequence of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Even before COVID-19, an estimated 300,000 people in Germany had ME/CFS. In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, this number is expected to at least double. ME/CFS is considered to be a severe, chronic disease and there is no causal treatment available to-date. More info on ME/CFS.
The ME/CFS Symposium intends to inform and update ME/CFS patients and their relatives, representatives from politics, medicine and the media, as well as the general public.
Participation in the ME/CFS Symposium takes place online / via live stream after registration and is free of charge. All presentations of the symposium, the list of speakers and information on registration are available (German language only) at the ME/CFS Symposium-Website.
All presentations will be made available digitally afterwards (German language).
UPDATE 4 May 2023: the final programme of the ME/CFS Symposium with all presentations and speakers is now available:
UPDATE 24 May 2023: the recording of the ME/CFS Symposium presentations have been published:
Immediately before the ME/CFS Symposium, the international scientific conference "ME/CFS Conference 2023 - Understand, Diagnose, Treat" will take place. (more information here). The international conference provides a platform for leading scientists, clinicians and interdisciplinary experts to exchange information on the current status of research projects on ME/CFS and post-infectious syndromes, including Post-COVID-Syndrome.
As a ME/CFS Research Foundation funds and supports both events. Our goals are to provide leading researchers with an opportunity to exchange, network and collaborate (International ME/CFS Conference). The complementary ME/CFS Symposium aims to inform patient, caretakers, and the general public about ongoing research and care initiatives and their progress in a focused 3 hour format. We plan to publish the results of both events towards the end of May.
You may directly support our engagement for ME/CFS research – including these events – with your CONTRIBUTION HERE . You may also support our objectives by informing your network about our activities. We greatly appreciate your support - THANK YOU!
Organisation of the ME/CFS Symposium:
- Carmen Scheibenbogen, Director, Charité Fatigue Center (CFC), Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité Berlin
- Uta Behrends, Director, MRI Chronic Fatigue Center for Young People (MCFC), Children‘s Hospital, MRI Technical University of Munich, Munich
The ME/CFS Symposium 2023 is funded and supported by:
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