Long Covid campaigner co-authors ground-breaking international study
Sammie McFarland, from Weymouth, said she was 'honoured' to contribute to a landmark international study which confirms the condition is debilitating, and the global response must be drastically scaled up.
The Delphi study, involving more than 150 experts across medicine, research, and patient advocacy, represents a first-of-its-kind consensus on the priorities, gaps, and urgent needs surrounding Long Covid.
It comes after the news that Covid services throughout England - including Dorset - are being scrapped.
Mrs McFarland, has been at the forefront of campaigning to raise awareness of the condition, that she and her daughter live with, and set up the Long Covid Kids charity to support children living with the condition.
She said: "As a Dorset resident and founder of Long Covid Kids, I was honoured to contribute to this newly published international consensus on Long Covid.
"Bringing together perspectives from over 150 experts across 28 countries including clinicians, researchers, and people with lived experience.
"This study represents a significant step forward in how we understand and respond to this complex condition.
READ: Dorset Long Covid campaigner backs NHS doctors plan to sue
"Long Covid affects hundreds of millions of people around the world, including many children and young people. Yet too often, it remains under-recognised and under-resourced.
"Through this work, we reached consensus on nearly 190 recommendations to guide better diagnosis, treatment, research, and support."
Mrs McFarland is a vocal advocate of children suffering with the debilitating condition and through her charity has sought to improve the support network for children and their families.
She said that new study concluded that the impact of Covid-19 on children 'must be a research priority' from understanding the long-term health effects to supporting learning, development, and mental wellbeing.
READ: Weymouth woman's fight against long Covid amid inquiry
She added: "This consensus is more than a scientific document. It's a foundation for action to improve care, guide policy, and provide the clarity that so many families have been waiting for.
"Here in Dorset and across the UK, children and families affected by Long Covid deserve to be seen, heard, and supported - as with any significant childhood disease.'
The study identified ten critical areas requiring immediate action.
This includes educating frontline providers to recognize Long COVID as a complex, multi-system condition involving neurological, immune, and organ dysfunction
READ: Weymouth mother develops resource for kids with long Covid
It also says that a universal definition for the condition should be created and that the condition should not just be recognised as 'tiredness' but includes serious complications such as immune dysregulation, neurological injury, and organ damage.
The study also concludes that Long Covid is an invisible disability and that current diagnostics fall short due to lab limitations, with advanced diagnostics needed as it is not one disease, but a cluster of overlapping conditions.
Experts also emphasized the need for long-term studies on how SARS-CoV-2 affects developing immune systems, brains, and hormonal balance as children are as much at risk to the condition.
READ: Weymouth Long Covid campaigner hits out at clinic closures
Clean indoor air and reducing airborne transmission of the virus through improved ventilation and air purification - particularly in schools and workplaces - is also essential for public health infrastructure, it concludes.
Finally experts came to the consensus that Long Covid requires coordinated international funding and that it is not just a medical issue but a socioeconomic one and warns that continued inaction is a policy failure with long-term consequences.
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