ME/CFS stands for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This is a severe disease of the nervous and immune system that usually occurs after an infection. Many people with Post-COVID-Syndrome have ME/CFS. Patients have a very low quality of life and often a high degree of disability. Participation and quality of life are often considerably limited, even in very young patients. 60% of all sufferers are unable to work, many of them are house or bed bound.

In Germany, about 300,000 people were already affected by ME/CFS before the pandemic, including over 40,000 children. Some of the patients affected by Long COVID also develop ME/CFS. In the meantime, more than 500,000 patients in Germany have been counted by health insurance organisations (as of 2021). Worldwide, more than 28 million patients are estimated to be affected.

ME/CFS patient care is currently insufficient. Misdiagnoses and consequential damage are not uncommon. The high number of patients is an increasingly critical factor for all areas of medical and psychosocial care, as well as economically, due to the loss of education and labour caused by the disease. The economic damage of the disease was already estimated at over 7.4 billion euros per year before the pandemic (Source). This estimate of economic damage has also increased considerably due to Long COVID.