A Long-Overdue Shift: ME/CFS Named a Priority in Nature
January 16, 2026
For two years, we have worked to bring ME/CFS into serious federal policy and research conversations. At #NotJustFatigue, that effort has meant countless meetings, bipartisan education, and sustained advocacy for the inclusion of ME/CFS within Long COVID appropriations language, as well as for congressional recognition of the ME/CFS Research Roadmap alongside partners across the community. Progress in this space is often incremental and rarely visible, which is why moments of clear movement matter.
This week brought one of those moments. A newly published article in Nature outlining the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ updated vision explicitly names ME/CFS as a priority. For a disease that has endured decades of misunderstanding and neglect, this type of recognition is not symbolic; it signals a meaningful change in how the scientific and policy establishment is beginning to frame the illness.
#NotJustFatigue was founded on the belief that a better future for people with ME/CFS is possible: one defined by public understanding, serious research investment, and approved treatments where none currently exist. Developments like this do not represent the finish line, but they do represent forward motion. This is #NotJustFatigue.