Canada inquiry finds mystery condition does not exist

Canadian health authorities believe a mystery illness affecting a small group of people in New Brunswick may actually not actually exist, despite their insistence to the contrary.

Last year, health officials recognised a "cluster" of individuals suffering from a neurological malady similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

According to The Guardian, the victims' symptoms manifested in various ways; some felt bugs crawling under their skin, others drooled, and others suffered from memory loss.

The province released its findings in a report on Thursday, concluding that none of the 48 cases reviewed met the conditions to be classified as an unknown brain condition. Instead, the province determined the victims were likely suffering from known diseases.

“The oversight committee has unanimously agreed that these 48 people should never have been identified as having a neurological syndrome of unknown cause, and that based on the evidence reviewed, no such syndrome exists,” said Dr Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health for New Brunswick.

Dr Russell said that while the findings did not suggest the victims were suffering from a new condition, it did not mean the individuals were healthy.

“But I stress again, this does not mean that these people aren’t seriously ill. It means they are ill with a known neurological condition," she said.

The report's findings provided little solace for the families of the victims, who have helplessly watched as their loved ones deteriorate.

Steve Ellis, whose father was diagnosed with an unknown neurological condition in 2019, was frustrated by the government's ruling.

“They didn’t answer any of our questions. It was political theatre at its worst,” he said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be good. But I didn’t expect it to be this hurtful.”

Kat Lanteigne, the executive director of the health non-profit Bloodwatch, also criticised the report. She told The Guardian that the report had "misled the public."

“It’s a sham. It’s an absolute public health sham,” she said. “They haven’t done any additional testing. They have not tested for neurotoxins. They did not run a control group for their epidemiological study. Their data is wholly insufficient.”

She has reportedly advised the families to seek legal counsel and explore possible litigation to "hold both the government of New Brunswick and the Public Health Agency of Canada accountable for their failings.”