The video links and copies of all presentations and public testimony from the Nov. 8-9, 2011, meeting are now available on the website of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee (CFSAC).

CFSAC is a federal Advisory Committee which provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Assistant Secretary for Health, on issues related to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and a Designated Federal Officer is charged with assuring "coordination and communication between CFSAC and the HHS agencies," and acts as a "liaison for the Committee to HHS and various entities, i.e., other government agencies at the Federal, State, and local levels; the CFS biomedical, academic, and research communities; the public; and other non-governmental organizations."

The agenda for Day 1, Nov. 8 2011, included sessions on

  • International Classification of Diseases - Clinical Modification
  • Future Interdisciplinary Research for ME/CFS that Require a Variety of Scientific Disciplines

And on Day 2, Nov. 9 2011

  • International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Application and Relevance to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • CDC Report for CFSAC - CFS Activities Since May 2011
  • Minimum Data Elements for Research Reports on CFS
  • NIH Report for CFSAC

The CDC report on Day 2 includes the report of the group that reviewed the CDC CFS website and made recommendations. This is worth watching, as the website has been the subject of much discussion.

The CFSAC website home page has links to more information about the CFS Advisory Committee, including the Charter, By-Laws and Roster.  The Spotlight column contains links to important news.

The Recommendations page contains a link to a chart of recommendations made since September 2004, noting the date(s) of each and the action taken so far. This chart was last updated in July 2011.

This is an important site for those who are following public advocacy for ME/CFS and the activities of the CDC and NIH.