By A. Lotta Blarney
April 1, 2013. The Atlanta Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) issued a surprise statement this morning, announcing that it
was changing the name of the disease formerly known as chronic fatigue syndrome
(CFS) to Post-Infectious Low Energy Syndrome.
“The CDC feels that PILES more accurately reflects the seriousness
with which we take this illness,” said CDC director, Thomas Frieden, in a press
conference held early this morning. “We are sorry for the decades of
misunderstanding caused by the use of the word ‘fatigue.’”
The CFIDS Association of America, while voicing its approval
over the removal of the “f” word, expressed some reservations in a tweet to its
1400 followers. “Fatigue gone, now have piles.”
Though the AMA declined to comment, the American Board of
Colon and Rectal Surgery welcomed the change in nomenclature, citing its years
of experience in treating illnesses of a similar nature.
The CDC concurred. “People with PILES now have their own specialized
branch of medicine,” said Frieden. “This is a name we can all get behind.”
