10 January 2010

Sir,

Invest in ME is a UK charity which seeks to educate about Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS).

You have allowed a poll entitled “Do you think ME is a genuine illness” to be set up on your web site at -

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/polls/poll.html?pollId=1015226

which itself seems to have been initiated following the recent Imperial College research publication concerning the XMRV retrovirus.

This is a highly offensive action taken by your staff and does you no credit whatsoever.

We would like to request that you remove this poll immediately.

There is no reason or sensible motive, apart from sensationalism, to promote such a poll.

ME is recognised as a neurological illness by the World Health Organisation and by the UK government.

Presumably you would not run such a poll for other illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, MS or Parkinson’s?

Should you need to know the real situation with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) which exists then you are welcome to contact us. There are so many real issues surrounding the perception of ME by the media and promoted by vested interests in the establishment that it would be better if you were to concentrate on those.

The treatment of ME patients in the UK is a national scandal and your newspaper and its web component would perform a real public service, and perhaps attract more readers, if it exposed the people who seek to perpetuate the myth of ME as a somatoform illness.

Regarding the ICL research this has already been discredited by the Whittemore-Peterson Institute of Nevada (WPI), USA, who carried out the original XMRV research with the National Cancer Institute and the Cleveland clinic. That research was rigorously peer-reviewed before being published by the prestigious Science magazine.

The WPI response is here – http://www.wpinstitute.org/news/docs/WPI_Erlwein_010610.pdf 

Invest in ME also have a statement on this – http://www.investinme.org/Article-381%20BBC%20XMRV%20Statement%20January%202010.htm

If you would like to learn more about biomedical research into ME then please come to Invest in ME’s 5th International ME/CFS Conference in Westminster, London, on 24th May 2010. There you will hear from the WPI of the continuing research on XMRV and by other renowned experts on the consequences of severe ME – a real illness.

We look forward to you removing this nonsensical poll,

Yours sincerely,

Kathleen McCall

Chairman

Invest In ME

Registered charity number 1114035

Support ME awareness - www.investinme.org

Invest in ME is an independent charity promoting education and biomedical research into myalgic encephalomyelitis.

5th Invest in ME International ME/CFS Conference - London 24th May 2010 - http://tinyurl.com/ykdoqkc

DVD of the 4th Invest in ME International ME/CFS Conference - London 29th May 2009 - http://tinyurl.com/pv2z8k

Invest in ME is also on facebook - see http://www.investinme.org/IiME%20ME%20Facebook.htm

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