§ Sir Brian MawhinneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the number of people diagnosed as suffering from ME in(a) England and (b) the (i) Cambridgeshire/Peterborough, (ii) Lincolnshire and (iii) Northamptonshire health authority areas. [160330]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 8 May 2001]: Information about actual numbers of people with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, is very hard to come by because of the problems in producing a precise definition of the illness.
Estimates of the number of people diagnosed as suffering from ME in the specific health authority areas mentioned are not collected centrally.