ME taking toll in the classroom

The chronic fatigue illness ME is the biggest cause of long-term sickness absence in UK schools, a study published today claims. A survey responded to by 1,100 schools revealed ME was responsible for 51 per cent of long- term absence, while a fifth of schools had experienced cases of ME.

For every 100,000 children, there are 70 cases of ME, and more than a third of all cases occur in clusters - often in areas near polluted open water, the research says.

Jane Colby, an ME sufferer who carried out the survey with consultant microbiologist Dr Elizabeth Dowsett, said: "This disease shows a very sinister pattern right across the school population. No one can deny any longer how serious it is."

ME, which can leave sufferers so weak they can barely chew food, is more commonly associated with high-flying adults, earning it the nickname "yuppie flu". However, awareness is growing of its capacity to strike in children, causing them to miss vital months of schooling.

Jane Colby writes on ME in Education Plus, in today's edition of The Independent Tabloid. Lucy Ward