The Public Health Agency of Canada says it found no evidence of a single, unusual neurological illness or a common cause in its review of more than 200 so-called mystery brain disease cases in New Brunswick.
But in a new report quietly posted on the provincial government’s website, the federal agency known as PHAC leaves the door open to either of these possibilities among some patients.
The available evidence points to multiple causes, PHAC says, “and therefore does not provide a basis for further investigation of potential exposures or environmental testing.”
PHAC found no unusual pattern of neurological disease in New Brunswick either, based on available information about the population at large, says the report posted on Oct. 29.
“Yet, important uncertainties remain,” it says.
These include whether there could be a common illness or a “common health event” among a subgroup of patients, any geographic clustering, or a possible public health concern.
PHAC cites the “overarching limitations” of the data, including a lack of diagnosis for most of the patients, whose symptoms range from painful muscle spasms and hallucinations, to memory loss and behavioural changes.
A lack of diagnosis is what has prompted international headlines and heated debate for years.
PHAC recommends, among other things, patient reassessments “not only to determine whether there is a public health concern, but importantly to reduce patient distress and for patients to receive diagnoses, appropriate care and information about prognosis.”
“We’re no further ahead,” said Sarah Nesbitt,
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