The provincial government announced that they have formed a new committee that will oversee the new unknown neurological disease that has impacted 48 New Brunswickers.
The oversight committee is made up of two co-chairs, Dr. Natalie Banville of Vitalité Health Network and Dr. Edouard Hendriks of Horizon Health Network, along with six neurologists and one member from Public Health.
This team will supervise all clinical and investigative research, which will hopefully paint a better picture of where this disease is coming from.
The degenerative disease has no known cause at the moment, and there are no obvious similarities between the patients, other than they are all in New Brunswick.
New Brunswick’s minister of health Dorothy Shephard had no additional details in terms of where the disease comes from or whether or not it’s infectious, but she did outline how the oversight committee will collect data about the disease.
“Detailed information is needed to better understand and may help determine if there is an environmental or infectious source of these cases, and if so, to help identify ways to prevent more cases from occurring,” says Shephard. “Data collected will be incorporated into the investigation to help identify potential sources of the syndrome. In May, public health began calling individuals to schedule appointments to conduct the surveys. The first interview was completed on Wednesday, May 26. To date five surveys have been conducted. Five more are scheduled for this week, and several more are being followed up on and to date despite extensive medical investigation.”
“A diagnosis for the 48 individuals identified in this cluster has not yet been determined. These 48 individuals require additional investigation.”
Reporters asked twice if there was a potential environmental cause, but didn’t get a definitive answer. Minister Shephard says that it can’t be ruled out, but neither can any other possibilities.
“It’s really important to keep in mind that we can’t have a narrow focus here,” says Shephard. “We must examine any and all possibilities, and as those possibilities evolve, we will certainly share them with you [the public]. But the fact is, the reason that we are going to such lengths with the steering committee and with the investments is that we need to allow the scientists to do their investigation and their work. Focusing on any one element could just take us in the wrong direction.”
She also couldn’t say whether there were activities or foods that New Brunswickers should avoid.
As of today, the province is focusing on getting in contact with patients and their families.
“It’s very important that the families understand that we are in a methodical process to to help them to understand what’s happening,” says Shephard. “We know that it is an anxious time. We know that some people have passed away, and their families would like to know why. We’re going to continue forward, we will be in communication with them to help them understand the process that’s happening. A letter will be going out today to all families and individuals to let them know how this process is unfolding.”
