This World ME Day, on May 12th, communities around the globe are coming together to raise awareness, demand change, and support people living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). From international conferences and grassroots activism to creative awareness-raising campaigns and vital educational tools, here’s a roundup of just some of what’s happening around the world this year.
International ME/CFS Conference: 12–13 May 2025, Berlin (Hybrid Event)
Hosted by the ME/CFS Research Foundation in collaboration with the Charité Fatigue Center, the International ME/CFS Conference 2025 – Understand, Diagnose, Treat will bring together global experts to share cutting-edge research and developments in ME/CFS and post-COVID care. This hybrid event is geared toward clinicians, researchers, and interdisciplinary professionals. All presentations will be held in English and streamed live for registered participants.
👉 Learn more and register
Blue Sunday: The Tea Party For ME
Founded by Anna Renshaw, Blue Sunday is a heartwarming annual tradition where friends and loved ones gather—virtually or in person—for tea parties that raise awareness and funds for ME charities. It’s a beautiful way to show support, whether you’re hosting or attending.
👉 Host or join a tea party on 18th May 2025.
#BlueSunday #TeaPartyForME
New Documentary – Doctors as Patients
In a powerful new film narrated by Anil van der Zee, five medical professionals share their deeply personal journeys of living with ME, Long COVID, and chronic Lyme disease. Doctors as Patients sheds light on the realities of life with complex chronic conditions from a uniquely credible and humanizing perspective.
🎥 Watch the documentary
#MillionsMissing 2025 – MEAction’s Global Day of Protest
This year’s #MillionsMissing theme is a call to SOS: Save Our Support systems, Save Our Science, Save Our Society. As hard-won progress in research and healthcare is threatened by funding cuts in the US and global systemic neglect, #MEAction is mobilising people worldwide to demand accessible healthcare, sustained research investment, and visibility for people with ME and other chronic conditions.
📣 Join the movement
#DisabilitySOS
Bateman Horne Center – Clinical Care Webinar & New Guide
The Bateman Horne Center is hosting a special webinar to mark ME/CFS Awareness Month on May 9 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm MDT, sharing their new Clinical Care Guide—a practical framework developed from years of patient care and research. Designed to help clinicians better diagnose and care for people with ME, Long COVID, and other infection-associated chronic conditions, this guide is an invaluable tool for advancing medical education and improving outcomes.
🩺 Register for the webinar
Emerge Australia – ME/CFS Awareness Online Symposium
Emerge Australia is hosting a special online symposium on Wednesday 7 May at 2pm AEST, bringing together experts, advocates, and members of the ME/CFS community to explore the latest developments in care, research, and lived experience. The event offers a valuable opportunity for learning, connection, and solidarity as we lead up to World ME Day.
🧠 Find out more and register
World ME Alliance – Dispel the Myths and Share the Facts
We at the World ME Alliance are taking aim at the most damaging myths that still surround ME. Our World ME Day resources are available in 15 languages, and we invite everyone to use our poster maker to share the facts they want to champion this year. Whether you’re new to the cause or a long-time advocate, join us in making sure truth and science speak louder than stigma.
🌍 Explore resources and make your poster
These are just a few of the incredible initiatives taking place this World ME Day. We want to hear from you—what’s happening in your region or community? Share other events, actions, or resources in the comments below so we can celebrate and amplify them together.
#WorldMEDay #MillionsMissing #DisabilitySOS #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #MECFS #EMSFC #LongCovid #GreatestMEdicalScandal
