Vorwort

In his foreword, Prof Karl Lauterbach emphasized the extent to which people living with ME/CFS have their quality of life restricted and how important it is that this disease is finally receiving more attention. One of the reasons for this increased attention is the considerable social costs posed by ME/CFS and Long COVID, as a recently published analysis by Risklayer and the ME/CFS Research Foundation has shown. Prof Lauterbach highlighted Germany's special role in Long COVID and ME/CFS research compared internationally. The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) has provided more than 150 million euros in funding for health services research projects through 2028. The funding of 45 million euros for research projects aimed at improving the care of children and adolescents is unique to date. Prof Lauterbach also addressed the Long COVID Off-Label Use Expert Group of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). In this context, he made it clear that, despite continuing gaps in knowledge and a currently inadequate care structure in Germany, it can be assumed that basic research, particularly with the help of artificial intelligence, will provide important insights from which effective drug treatments could ultimately be derived.