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Province must investigate high rate of neurodegenerative disease in younger New Brunswickers

by Liane
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March 2, 2023

Province must investigate high rate of neurodegenerative disease in younger New Brunswickers

FREDERICTON – Megan Mitton, the MLA for Memramcook Tantramar and Green Party health critic, is calling on Health Minister Bruce Fitch to launch an investigation into potential environmental causes of the high rate of neurodegenerative disease in younger New Brunswickers.

“Environmental causes of the rapid onset of disabling neurological symptoms in relatively young New Brunswickers should be immediately investigated by public health,” said Mitton. “Health Minister Bruce Fitch has a responsibility to determine if there is an environmental basis for this increase in neurodegenerative syndromes in New Brunswick. The panel of neurologists appointed by the province to review the cases did not rule this out. The patients and their families deserve no less, and New Brunswickers deserve to know if there are environmental factors involved or not.”

In 2021, the Canadian Institute for Health Research was fast-tracking a funding proposal to carry out field research into possible environmental causes of this high incidence of neurological deterioration in New Brunswick, but in May of that year the New Brunswick government asked for the funding application to be put on indefinite hold, according to documents obtained by Canadaland.com

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