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Home / Diagnosis - A Potentially Unknown Neurological Syndrome: W5

Diagnosis - A Potentially Unknown Neurological Syndrome: W5


Catalogue Number:  CTV886
Producer:  CTV
Producing Agencies:  CTV
Subject:  Canadian Social Issues, Criminal Justice & Law, Documentary, Guidance, Health and Medicine, Science, Social Issues, Social Sciences
Language:  English
Grade Level:  9 - 12, Post Secondary, Adult
Country Of Origin:  Canada
Copyright Year:  2021
Running Time:  21:36


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Todd Battis investigates a mysterious brain disease and reveals missteps and failures of the New Brunswick health care system.  An undefined neurological illness has affected dozens of people in northern New Brunswick. Suffering patients feel disillusioned because there is currently no cure for their illness. In 2015 neurologist Dr. A. Marrero began reporting patients from the Moncton area who had unexplained symptoms. Tests were done to see if they were suffering from the rare Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease caused by accumulated prion proteins in the brain, but those and other tests were negative. Residents are concerned that the cause may be environmental. Families tied to patients in the mystery cluster are now actively advocating for their relatives.

Neuropatholigist Dr. Gerard Jansen at the University of Ottawa has examined the brain and muscle tissue of eight people who died in this cluster, and he does not believe that they had a novel disease. The NB Ministry of Health continues to investigate this as a potential unknown neurological syndrome. Dr. Marrero is not part of the investigating committee.

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