United Kingdom

Take action for World ME Day 2024!

Call on United Kingdom to become a #GlobalVoiceForME

At the World ME Alliance, we estimate there are over 500,000 people with ME in United Kingdom

We are using people power to reach out to nations all over the world, calling on the people responsible for working with the World Health Organization to become a #GlobalVoiceForME, and we need your help!
Take these simple steps to send an email to your country’s WHO National Counterpart, and remember to copy in the World ME Alliance, so we can follow-up on the connections you help us to make!

  1. Copy and paste the below template into a new email
  2. Add your name to the first paragraph, and your contact details at the end
  3. Edit the template to include a little about yourself, and how ME has impacted your life, as a person with ME or an ally. Remember to be polite.
  4. Copy and paste the recipients email address into the To: field, and remember to include us at [email protected] as well!
  5. Press send!
  6. Share this article with other people in your country to get more people involved!

Copy and paste your template letter

To: [email protected], [email protected]

Urgent Call for Action: Become a global voice for ME

Dear Ms Nicky Shipton-Yates,

I am [Insert Your Name], a citizen and advocate representing the 500,000 plus people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) in the United Kingdom.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were between 17 and 30 million people living with ME worldwide. Now, the World ME Alliance now estimates there are at least 55 million globally, with millions of new cases triggered by COVID-19. Research shows half of those with long COVID meet the criteria for an ME diagnosis.
ME has huge economic implications: most people with ME are unable to work, 25% are housebound or bedbound, and there are substantial costs associated with their care. As we approach World ME Day 2024 on May 12th, dedicated to raising awareness about ME and its impact, I urge you to join me in becoming a voice for those affected by this debilitating condition.
ME was officially recognized as a neurological disease by the WHO 55 years ago, but still faces alarming challenges. Its severe and incurable nature significantly impacts patients’ quality of life, usually forcing them to stop working and taking part in society. Lack of recognition makes their struggles worse. The World ME Alliance estimates that the numbers of people living with ME in the United Kingdom have more than doubled since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
I’m reaching out to ask for your help championing the cause of ME in United Kingdom. It’s crucial we take an active role in supporting those living with this devastating disease.
Please contact the World ME Alliance’s Head of Advocacy and Communications, via [email protected], to arrange a Zoom meeting and explore how United Kingdom can become a #GlobalVoiceForME.
Your support is pivotal for improving the lives of those affected by ME.
Thank you for your time and consideration on this critical issue.
Yours sincerely,
[Your Full Name] [Your Contact Information]

Thanks for doing your part to build a #GlobalVoiceForME.

In addition to contacting the UK’s WHO National Counterpart, calling on them to become a #GlobalVoiceForME, Action for M.E. want to ensure that momentum gained from the recent Westminster Hall debate on ME is not lost.

They’re calling on the Government fulfil its moral duty to people with ME through committing to funding more, high-quality research into the condition and releasing the full publication of the cross-Government Delivery Plan as a matter of urgency and are asking for your help, by contacting your local MP using a template letter, to create a collective voice.

Find our more about how you can help, and the template letter, here. 

You can also create your own custom poster to share on #WorldMEDay!

Learn more about what our member organisations in your country are doing for World ME Day 2024. Explore their websites today:

Search terms: England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland