Manx Long Covid and ME & CFS sufferers welcome bespoke service launch

People on the Isle of Man with Long Covid and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) have welcomed a bespoke service.

The conditions share many of the same symptoms, but previously had no dedicated healthcare support.

More than 1,000 people on the island are living with Long Covid, while a further 350 have CFS, also known as ME.

Juan Corlett, chairman of ME Support Isle of Man, said the new service would make a big difference.

Mr Corlett said early intervention was "absolutely crucial", adding that he was diagnosed with ME about seven years later than he could have been, which had damaged his health further.

"It's certainly overdue and I think there's a little bit of bitterness amongst a lot of people that it wasn't here sooner," he said.

Gemma Wild, who has Long Covid, said that about three months after she recovered from the virus in 2020 she was suddenly hit by the post-viral illness.

She said she felt like she had been "hit by a train" at first, and what followed changed her life completely.

"I've gone from teaching four times a week, going to the gym, running playing golf... to some days getting up and getting dressed, that's a challenge," she added.

'Experience is real'

The new service, which had been in a "soft launch" phase since January, was set up by Manx Care after consultation with those who have the conditions.

Member for the Department of Health and Social Care, Michelle Haywood, said the "real significance" of the service was that it "validates people's experience".

She said: "We're saying to people who have ME and chronic fatigue and then Long Covid, we see you and your experience is real."

"We recognise it with a service that's designed to help you get back to the best life that you can," she added.