Mr. Alex CarlisleTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will carry out an epidemiological survey into the incidence of myalgic encephalomyelitis in Wales; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettNo. Myalgic encephalomyelitis is not a clearly defined disease. Diagnosis rests upon identification of a cluster of symptoms for which there is no diagnostic test. The views of doctors vary widely about diagnosis and treatment, there could be no agreed case definition, and it would thus not be practicable to collect data for an epidemiological study.