The disease where pushing harder can make you sicker.
On May 12th each year, we focus a day on learning about, raising awareness of, and campaigning around Myalgic Encephalomyeltitis.
For 2023 we’re focusing on the key aspect of ME that everyone should know about: that pushing harder can make you sicker. The technical term for this is post-exertional malaise (PEM).
Post-exertional malaise (PEM) is something that everyone with ME experiences.
It is a worsening of symptoms after physical, mental, or emotional exertion that would not have caused a problem before the illness and is the hallmark symptom of ME. For some patients, sensory overload (light and sound) can induce PEM. PEM intensifies the severity of symptoms and may last days, weeks, or permanently. The symptoms typically begin to worsen 12 to 48 hours after the activity or exposure.
Why should you learn from ME?
People with ME are experts in their own illness and experience. By providing platforms for their voices across the world, we can share that collective expertise.
Post-viral illness is not new. We could learn so much about long-COVID if we recognised the knowledge and experience we already have from other post-viral illnesses like ME.
People with ME want to be a part of research. Both as participants and co-producers of studies. We need a global increase in research funding to learn from ME in this way.
Our goal is a world without ME.
Never underestimate the power of a share…
ME is the disease where pushing harder can make you sicker. And millions more are getting ME following #COVID19. Will you #LearnFromME on #WorldMEDay this May 12th?
Find out more at worldmeday.org
Take action!
World ME Day is about learning and taking action for change. Our 2023 actions are coming soon…
Keep up to date by following us on social media!
Resources
Right click, or tap and hold, the image you wish to use then click “save as” or “download”.
Right click, or tap and hold, the image you wish to use then click “save as” or “download”.
Create you own custom poster using one our our templates.
Check out our guide to pitching your story to local press.
If you have more ideas of what we can produce to help make World ME Day a success then contact us and we’ll see if we can assist.
World ME Day News
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2023 World ME Day campaign announced
The theme for World ME Day 2023 will be the hallmark symptom of ME: post-exertional malaise. The campaign is all about changing the narrative, so that globally people begin to understand this disease more accurately. That’s why our tagline this year is “ME: the disease where pushing harder can make you sicker”. Our 21 member […]
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World ME Day 2022 roundup
After an incredible World ME Day we wanted to share some of the amazing progress made across the globe. As individuals and organisations, our community stepped forward to fight for people with ME everywhere. We’re going to do this by country, because there is just so much to cover! This was a first for the […]
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World ME Day posters show what we can #LearnFromME
This World ME Day we asked our community to customise poster to demonstrate what we should all #LearnFromME. The profound loss endured by people with ME comes through, alongside the joy so many in our community still find, facts and figures about ME, and nuggets of wisdom or knowledge that many have found. Read some […]
World ME Day is coordinated by the World ME Alliance and its members.
By focusing on a single day and collaborating across many organisations, we aim to maximise our collective power.
