Follow the journey of Aroha and Dr Ngata as we learn about the DecodeME findings. Learn more at www.anzmes.org.zn/world-me-day/take-me-seriously-2026#takeMEseriously #EducateME #anzmes #worldmeday

The ANZMES Executive Committee is calling for a national standard of care grounded in evidence to prevent avoidable harm and support patients safely. This World ME Day, join us to learn the science and help change the story for those still waiting.

www.worldmealliance.org/medical-education-hub

www.anzmes.org.nz/world-me-day/take-me-seriously-2026Learn more about ANZMES Know M.E. Clinical Education Programme via the link above.

#EducateME #TakeMESeriously #WorldMEDay2026 #ANZMES

Transcript:Anna: The Time is Now. Take ME Seriously.

Steve: ME/CFS is a serious, multi-system disease. Patients wait years for diagnosis. Many are housebound. Some are children. Thousands are from school, workplaces, and community life.

Amy: For too many, it remains a mystery of modern medicine. Medical education simply hasn't kept pace with the evolving science.

Ros: When clinicians are trained to understand post‑exertional malaise, orthostatic intolerance and sensory overload, we move from uncertainty to preventing clinical harm.

Anna: The research is clear, but the gap between scientific discovery and clinical practice is still too wide. We need education to bridge that gap.

Suzanne: Every patient deserves a diagnosis grounded in evidence, and every clinician deserves the tools to provide safe management and support.

Wendy: For every clinician who wants to provide patient-focused evidence-informed ME-aware care with confidence, visit the World ME Alliance Medical Education Hub and contact ANZMES about our Know M.E. Clinical Education Programme.

Fiona: Our goal is simple: empower healthcare professionals with the tools they need, and support patients with a clear, legitimate pathway to diagnosis and appropriate care.

Ros: Take ME seriously this World ME Day.

Anna: Learn the science. Change the story.Everyone: The Time is Now. Take ME Seriously.

Join us today on Severe ME Day, August 8th, for our interview with Wendy Matthews, a pivotal voice in the ME community, particularly for severe ME.

Wendy brings a unique and deeply informed perspective as an ANZMES Executive Committee member, Chair/Trustee of ME Respite, and through her 30 years of lived experience with severe ME, having been largely bed-bound for 20 of those years.

This interview will be an exploration of the crisis facing the severe ME community, focusing on three key areas:

1. The Lived Experience: Wendy will share the unfiltered reality of living with severe ME—the daily battles, the profound loss, and the immense resilience required to navigate a life largely hidden from the world.

2. A Message to Health Professionals: The interview will articulate what healthcare professionals MUST know to provide safe, evidence-based care and, crucially, to prevent the harm that so many in our community have endured.

3. A Call to Policymakers: Wendy will outline the clear, non-negotiable actions that policymakers must take to address systemic neglect and build a system of support that provides for the most vulnerable - including her vital goal of establishing dedicated, ME-trained respite centres.

This interview is the centerpiece of our campaign activities for the day, which include the sharing of our 'InMEmory' and 'InSolidarity' initiative/video tributes to honour those we have lost and those who continue to live in the deepest isolation of this illness.

We hope this ‘event’ will create a powerful narrative, underpinning our collective call for urgent action.

Learn more and download resources at: https://anzmes.org.nz/world-me-day/severe-me-day-2025-8-august-2025/

#SEVEREMEDAY