Former British sprinter Beth Dobbin has called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to fund more research into ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), a condition she described as 'life-decimating'. Dobbin, 32, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics five years ago, revealed in an interview with BBC Sport that she has been diagnosed with ME.
Dobbin spends 22 hours a day in bed and has only left the house five times this year. She decided to give the interview to raise awareness of the condition, aware that the conversation could trigger a brutal flare-up of her health.
ME is a chronic, fluctuating illness that causes symptoms such as sleep problems, issues with thinking and memory, pain and severe, persistent exhaustion that is not improved by rest. It can cause more than 200 symptoms, including nausea, headaches, poor cognitive function and brain fog. Talking, light that is too bright or sound that is too loud can cause a 'crash' lasting 24 or 48 hours, or in the worst cases months. The condition has no known cure or specific treatment.
It is estimated that more than 400,000 people in the United Kingdom have ME, and the true number of sufferers could exceed one million. The severity of the condition ranges from people who can work or study to those who require full-time care and tube feeding.
In a letter to Burnham, Dobbin said: 'ME has been neglected and psychologicalised for years.' She added that ME has received very little state funding for research over the years compared with other illnesses, which is why there are no approved treatments. She highlighted that there are currently no provisions within the NHS for severe ME patients, who make up 25 per cent of those affected, and that patients often rely on off-label medication.
In the letter, she stated: 'Your government has said it wants to bring down the welfare bill.' She added: 'ME is so debilitating, severe patients are violently unwell, bedbound and can't even look after themselves, let alone work.' She concluded: 'To get the welfare bill down, I believe you need to fund research into this spiralling illness and help us all get our lives back.'
Burnham has been Prime Minister since July and has pledged to reduce the British welfare bill. Spending on benefits has risen sharply in recent years, and according to data from the Department for Work and Pensions, it is predicted to grow to £408.6 billion in 2030-31. Between April 2019 and March 2024, the British government invested around £6.5 million in ME research. Earlier this year, while Sir Keir Starmer was Prime Minister, an investment of £4.75 million in the world's first genomic study of the condition was announced. BBC Sport contacted No 10 for a comment.
