Dr. Jennifer Russell, the chief medical health officer for New Brunswick, speaks during a news conference (File Photo: CPAC video capture)
More than 40 cases of an unknown disease have been reported in Greater Moncton and the Acadian Peninsula.
New Brunswick Public Health says the cases are similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease which is a fatal brain disorder.
Since 2015, 35 cases have been confirmed with another eight suspected cases.
The province’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell says she and her national counterparts are monitoring the cases.
“It is more than likely a new disease. We haven’t seen this anywhere else in Canada. It is of unknown etiology but the symptoms are very much like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.”
Doctors are being asked to watch for neurological symptoms in patients and refer them to a specialist for assessment.
Symptoms of this disease include rapidly progressing dementia, muscle spasms, vision problems and lack of balance and coordination.
Public Health says five patients have died from this mystery illness with the median age of patients – both men and women – being 59-years-old.
