What is it?
An unknown neurological disease with similarities to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and fatal brain disease
When was it discovered?
A single case was diagnosed in 2015. Three years later, in 2019, 11 additional cases were discovered, with 24 more cases discovered in 2020 and another six in 2021. Five people have died.
When was it made public?
A March 5 internal memo from Public Health to health-care professionals was obtained by Radio-Canada and reported by Radio-Canada and CBC News on Wednesday, March 17.
Where are the cases?
The disease has so far only been identified in New Brunswick. It appears to be concentrated on the Acadian Peninsula in northeast New Brunswick and the Moncton region in the southeast.
How many cases are there?
Forty-three cases have been identified. Of those, 35 are on the Acadian Peninsula and eight are in the Moncton region.
Who has been affected?
The disease affects all age groups and affects males and females equally, according to the Public Health memo. About half of the affected individuals are between 50 and 69 years of age.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms include changes in behaviour, sleep disturbances, unexplained pain, visual hallucinations, co-ordination problems and severe muscle and brain atrophy.
Is it contagious?
Because the cause has not been determined, it is not yet known whether the disease is contagious.
What are the possible causes being researched?
Despite many similarities, tests for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have so far ruled out known prion diseases. Scientists are currently looking into the possibility that this is a new variant of a prion disease — or a new disease entirely. Neurologists and scientists suspect the cause might be exposure to an as-yet-undetermined environmental toxin.
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