When five-time Olympic gold medallist Kaylee McKeown withdrew from the 2026 Commonwealth Games with glandular fever, she pointed to something most people never hear about the illness: the risk that it does not end when the sore throat does.
Dr Chris Armstrong, Director of the Melbourne ME/CFS Collaboration and a University of Melbourne researcher who studies the chronic outcomes of infectious disease, told The Australian she had made a smart decision for her long-term health. Around 1 in 10 people who get glandular fever go on to develop ME/CFS, a serious long-term illness.
We have put together a short explainer on what glandular fever is, why it can sometimes lead to ME/CFS, and how rest reduces the risk.
Dr Armstrong’s comments appeared in The Australian.