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Highlights from the CFSAC Meeting held on May 10-11, 2011

The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee (CFSAC), which is an official advisory committee within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) held its spring two day conference on May 10 -11, 2011. The committee has been meeting twice a year to review multiple issues related to ME/CFS (i.e., research updates, educational issues, healthcare, diagnosis, treatment, progress and setbacks) and make recommendations accordingly. This particular meeting also included presentations on the recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) State of Knowledge Workshop for ME/CFS; classification of ME/CFS in the International Classification of Diseases - Clinical Modification; review of the 5-step process used for Social Security Disability evaluation; and discussion of ERISA and insurance issues. The committee scheduled, heard and recorded public testimonies by numerous advocates, patients, and families on both days of the meeting. Dr. Christopher Snell, scientific director of the Pacific Fatigue Laboratory at the University of the Pacific in California, served as Chair and Dr. Wanda Jones, as the Designated Federal Officer for the CFSAC.

Due to the amount of material covered over the course of this two-day meeting, a separate report was prepared for each day. This article reviews highlights from Day 1.