Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day Date in the current year: May 12, 2023

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), is a medical condition characterized by substantial debility and other symptoms that affect a person's ability to carry out daily activities and compromise their quality of life. Common symptoms include impaired concentration or memory, muscle or joint pain, unrefreshing sleep, severe headache, brain fog, mood problems, and others.

The first large outbreak of CFS was registered in the mid-1980s in Nevada, United States. An illness that resembled mononucleosis was thought to be caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. However, the cause or causes of ME/CFS have not been determined yet. Some scientists have proposed various infectious causes such as Lyme disease, human herpesvirus 6 and chlamydia, but there is no sufficient evidence to support such causation.

ME/CFS affects all ethnic groups and income levels, although it is most common in women. According to a statistics, at least one million American have chronic fatigue syndrome, but only 20% are diagnosed with the illness, including because there are no specific tests to diagnose the condition.

ME/CFS Awareness Day was created to bring awareness to chronic fatigue syndrome patients and their families and caregivers, support the research of this complex illness, and spread the knowledge about its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.