The Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health (OCMOH) is continuing to investigate cases of undiagnosed neurological illness.
The government has launched a new information line (1-866-506-9355) to support New Brunswickers during this investigation.
From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the line will provide callers with general information about the investigation and its status. This service is another option for people who have difficulty accessing the same information online.
Mental health support on the phone line will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provided by a team of trained clinicians
Since becoming aware of cases of a potentially undiagnosed neurological illness, the Government of New Brunswick has led two separate investigations into this matter. Supports have also been provided to affected patients as well as physicians who are caring for these individuals.
The investigation started in 2021, when the Chief Medical Officer of Health studied a group of 48 patients with a range of neurological symptoms. The investigation found no evidence of a common illness among these patients and a report was issued on Feb. 24, 2022. The report included recommendations and follow up actions to support patient care.
The full timeline of the 2021-2022 investigation can be found here.
In early 2023, the referring neurologist raised new concerns, including reporting more patients with unusual symptoms. The physician has suggested different ideas about causes for these symptoms.
Since then, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Vitalité Health Network, and the Public Health Agency of Canada have been working together to support the neurologist in the collection and verification of the required patient information. Once these reports are complete and received, the Chief Medical Officer of Health will analyze the information, interpret the results and make recommendations on any next steps required.
The purpose of this investigation is to assess concerns of elevated levels of certain environmental substances, and to review relevant files to determine whether a diagnosis has been made for some patients.
This investigation will not involve establishing criteria to determine the presence of a cluster and its characteristics or detailed clinical review of patient records.
The findings of the current investigation will help determine next steps.
As of February 28, 2025, 222 enhanced surveillance forms have been signed off by the referring neurologist. We now have enough fully reported and verified patient data to begin the analysis, with assistance from the Public Health Agency of Canada.
| What we’ll do | How we’ll do it | When we’ll do it |
| Data analysis | The data will be analyzed with support from the Public Health Agency of Canada. | Underway |
| Interpretation of analysis | Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health to review field epidemiology report of the data analysis, interpret, and make recommendations for next steps. | May-June 2025 |
| Scientific review | Results of the analysis will be sent to the Public Health Agency of Canada for review. | May 2025 |
| Finalize report | Review feedback/comments from the Public Health Agency of Canada. Complete edits and finalize design. | Late Spring 2025 |
| Release report | Share findings and any next steps with the public, affected patients and First Nations. | Late summer 2025 |
* Timelines are estimates and subject to change. Delays for one activity could impact other steps. Timelines will be updated as required.
2025
2024
2023
2022
Why is government investigating cases of undiagnosed neurological illness?
We know many New Brunswickers are interested and concerned about this file, and we are as well. We committed to conducting this investigation to assess claims made by the referring neurologist.
What’s the difference between this investigation and the investigation in 2021-22?
The Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health has been working with the referring neurologist and stakeholders on this file since 2021.
Two separate investigations, with different objectives, have been initiated on this file since then, one of which was completed in 2022 and the other currently underway.
The Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health has continued to work with the neurologist and other stakeholders on this file.
Who is helping the Government of New Brunswick with this investigation?
The Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Vitalité Health Network, and the Public Health Agency of Canada have been cooperating on this file since early 2023.
What is the role of the Public Health Agency of Canada in this investigation?
Since 2023, the Public Health Agency of Canada has mobilized epidemiologists in response to New Brunswick’s Requests for Assistance to support Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health's efforts to help the neurologist collect, record and submit the available case data for the provincial public health notification process.
Public Health Agency of Canada epidemiologists, under the leadership of the New Brunswick Chief Medical Officer of Health, helped Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health develop a database, create a guidance document for data extraction and database entry, complete a scoping exercise and support the work of Vitalité Health Network to extract and enter case data into the database.
Completing the provincial notification process and related data collection were necessary steps to inform any review and analysis of the case files. A Public Health Agency of Canada epidemiologist also provided remote support to help Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health prepare for the next phase of its investigation, by reviewing and refining the province’s draft analysis plan. Public Health Agency of Canada has mobilized an epidemiologist to now assist with the data analysis.
Why is it taking so long for the investigation to be completed?
Before any type of analysis could happen, we needed enough patient data to be completed and verified. Completing the provincial notification process and related data collection were necessary steps for review and analysis of the case files.
How many patients are involved?
As of February 28, 2025, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health has received 222 complete and validated patient reports. All completed and validated patient reports will be included in this investigation.
The referring neurologist has notified us of a total of 390 patients that are part of this group of patients with undiagnosed neurological illness.
What about the remaining files? Are you capping the number of cases to be included in this investigation?
While the decision has been made to begin the analysis with 222 files signed off, we continue to encourage and support the referring neurologist in completing the rest of the sign-offs and we will consider repeating the analysis if we receive a significant number of additional submissions.
How can New Brunswickers stay engaged and informed about this process?
The Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health will continue to provide updates about the investigation as it progresses via this website. Further mechanisms for engagement for those interested will be announced as they occur.
How will government help these patients?
Decisions about next steps will be made once the investigation is complete.
Following the first investigation in 2021-2022, the Oversight Committee sent a letter to the patients primary care providers with its conclusions and/or recommendations for further clinical review, and then sent a communication to the patient directly.
Each patient was asked to follow up with their primary care provider and continued to have access to a specialist at the MIND Clinic in Moncton or any other specialty physician. That included facilitating access to out of province specialists where appropriate.
The MIND clinic was established in 2021, with the goal of providing supports from multiple care providers to patients with neurodegenerative disease.
When disclosing information, Public Health New Brunswick (PHNB) always:
The findings presented here follow applicable privacy legislation, including the Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act (PHIPAA), the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (RTIPPA), as well as best practices to ensure every individual’s right to privacy is protected at all times.
Some of the information used for this investigation was collected directly from individuals, who provided their informed consent, which included assurance that no personal or identifying information would be disclosed in the report of findings.
If you have any general questions that are not addressed on the website about the investigation, you may reach out to us at [email protected]. Please note that to protect your privacy, we are unable to comment on individual cases or provide medical advice through this inbox. Any specific medical questions related to your case should continue to be discussed with your current care provider.