§ Mr. GillTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the identifiable causes of(a) ME, (b) MS and (c) HIV/AIDS. [118585]
§ Yvette CooperThe causes of myalgic encephalomyelitis also known as chronic fatigue syndrome are not known. A large number of different disorders have been put forward or implicated in trying to identify its causes. These range from biochemical and immunological disorders and various viruses including the Epstein Barr virus (glandular fever). It seems possible that the syndrome represents a spectrum of illnesses, some of which will have an unidentified physical cause.
The causes of multiple sclerosis are not known. However, there is some evidence to suggest cause may be linked to environmental factors. A 1993 British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine Working Party Report on MS notes that the prevalence of MS is related to geographical latitudes, being higher in the north of Britain than in the South. The best evidence to date reports a prevalence rising from 99 per 100,000 of the population in Southampton to 178 per 100,000 of the population in North East Scotland.
There is an international scientific consensus that infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the cause of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). This understanding is based on worldwide studies of individuals with AIDS, populations known to be at risk of AIDS, as well as studies of the virus itself.