Potential Neurological Syndrome Of Unknown Cause: Final Report

New Brunswick healthcare providers play a critical role in the early detection of clusters and outbreaks of disease. Continued support of this collaborative approach between physicians and Public Health New Brunswick (PHNB) is necessary for timely outbreak investigations. The PHNB investigation of a neurological syndrome of unknown cause, including the Epidemiological Summary of Enhanced Surveillance Interviews and the Oversight Committee Report, concludes there is no evidence of a cluster of neurological syndrome of unknown cause. Neurological conditions can be very difficult to diagnose and it is frequently the case that individuals exhibit less common presentations of known diseases; however, findings from the detailed review of the reported cases by the Oversight Committee found that the people who were part of this cluster displayed symptoms that varied significantly from case to case and there was no evidence of a shared common illness or of a syndrome of unknown cause. No individual met the case definition established by the main referring physician and the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance System (CJDSS). Additionally, extensive interviews conducted with the suspect cases or their proxies did not identify any specific behaviours, foods, or environmental exposures that can be identified as potential risk factors. PHNB is therefore concluding its investigation into a neurological syndrome of unknown cause and recommends that patients who were advised they may have a neurological syndrome of unknown cause contact their primary care provider for a referral to seek treatment and care at the Moncton Interdisciplinary Neurodegenerative Diseases (MIND) Clinic or with another specialist physician.