New Brunswick patients step up calls for independent probe of mysterious neurological symptoms

Patients are lining up behind a prominent Canadian neurologist calling for an independent commission to determine whether an unknown neurological illness is afflicting people in New Brunswick. However, neither the province nor the federal government will commit to such an arm’s-length probe, saying patient case files still need to be completed.A 2022 New Brunswick Public Health investigation found no evidence of a shared common illness among 48 people who had reported unknown neurological symptoms. After an outcry from patients, public-health advocates, federal scientists and the patients’ neurologist, Alier Marrero, the new provincial government of Premier Susan Holt promised a scientific investigation. It is now in the early stages, with the Public Health Agency of Canada reviewing a draft analysis plan led by the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Yves Léger.