Above: Promotional graphic for the Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) Campaign, including a survivor profile and text "Get Informed. Get Diagnosed, Get Help. To learn more about CFS visit http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/"

WHAT DOES CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME LOOK LIKE? SEE ITS FACE IN ESCONDIDO:

Traveling Photo Exhibit, Part of National Public Awareness Campaign, On Display at Westfield North County October 26 to November 1, 2009.

"The Faces of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome," a traveling photo exhibit that is part of a national public awareness campaign about the illness, will be displayed in Center Court at Westfield North County, located at 272 East Via Rancho Parkway in Escondido, from Monday, October 26, through Sunday, November 1. Get Directions (Google Maps)

This event is free and open to the public. The mall is open from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday; and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

"The Faces of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" features the portraits and stories of CFS patients, family members and health care professionals and was shot by fashion and celebrity photographer George Lange.

The exhibit is part of the first-ever national chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) health education campaign and is sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CFIDS Association of America.

Although more than four million Americans suffer from CFS, less than 20 percent have been diagnosed, compromising their health care. The campaign is designed to educate the public and health care professionals about diagnosis and treatment of this medical condition and to help Americans learn to recognize the symptoms of CFS and seek medical care if they think they or a family member may be suffering from CFS. The theme of the campaign is “Get informed. Get diagnosed. Get help.”

“Educating the public and health care professionals about CFS is critical to achieving better diagnosis rates, better care and a more compassionate social landscape for patients,” said Kimberly McCleary, president and CEO of the CFIDS Association of America, a nonprofit organization that educates the public, patients and health care professionals about CFS and funds research into the cause and possible treatments for it. “This campaign provides credible, evidence-based information on an illness that is still widely misunderstood.”

About CFS:
Also known as chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), CFS is a complex illness that results in a constellation of debilitating symptoms, including incapacitating fatigue