Invest in Long Covid & M.E. Research: Thousands of Children DISABLED, DISCHARGED, & HIDDEN FROM VIEW

• Five years after the start of the Covid pandemic, thousands remain severely ill - Many housebound or often bedbound, unable to attend school, work, or take part in daily life.  Disabled, discharged, and hidden from view.

• Covid has left millions chronically ill, including over 100,000 children in England and Scotland (ONS data 2024).

• Long Covid is not a historic issue - new infections and reinfections continue to increase the number of people developing chronic illness.

• Long Covid can cause systemic damage, affecting organs, the immune system, and even the brain.

• Half of Long Covid patients meet the criteria for M.E, a condition that, at its most severe, leaves people confined to darkened rooms, unable to sit up, eat or speak.

• Instead of investing in care and research, the government is shutting down Long Covid clinics in England, leaving thousands without support.

• As knowledge has advanced, NO additional funding has been allocated for Long Covid research—despite the increasing likelihood that further research could lead to effective treatments.

• Helping children and adults with Long Covid return to their daily lives, education, and work. Providing crucial support for young people transitioning into adulthood and meaningful employment.  

• Preventing families and households from falling into financial crisis, allowing parents, caregivers, and those with Long Covid to stay in work while ensuring access to the care they desperately need

"I used to be healthy and go to school like everyone else. I used to ride horses and swim and play tennis and play with my friends. Now I spend my life in bed and I'm too sick to move. I have no friends anymore, I can't do my hobbies and I can't do any school. No doctor knows how to help me and for most of the time, none have even tried. Some of them even didn't believe me and said I was just lazy. I am abandoned and I've given up, honestly. I'm not the only one. I don't understand why no one will help us."

“My teenager has had Long Covid since he was 9. He desperately misses school and football. For a while, he managed 20 minutes of school a day, but he has progressed to severe M.E. and has been unable to walk or tolerate light, screens, or even conversation. I gave up work to care for him. Our family is still stuck in 'lockdown'. Please, please, please help him by funding treatment research.”