N.B. politician calls for inquiry into brain illness after New York Times article [Video]

There’s a renewed call for a public inquiry into why so many New Brunswickers have come down with neurodegenerative symptoms and illnesses.

When an initial cluster of over 40 people presented with similar symptoms – muscle spasms, atrophy and progressive dementia – it was thought to be Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, until they tested negative.

That’s when a Moncton-based neurologist thought they could be experiencing an unknown brain disease. The cluster was initially focused in the Moncton and Acadian Peninsula areas of the province.

But after over a year of confusing back-and-forth for patients and their families, the province of New Brunswick halted further investigation by its federal counterparts, saying there was an explanation for each patients’ illness.

This week, New York Times Magazine released an article that calls that into question, citing that neurologist Dr. Alier Marrero believes the number of people seeking help with similar symptoms is now over 400.

It has sparked Green Party MLA …