Mystery disease report pushed to the new year, province says

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Province has missed another deadline to present report on findings on atypical neurological symptoms

Published Dec 20, 2025 • Last updated 2 days ago • 5 minute read

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Dr. Yves Leger, the province’s chief medical officer is shown in a file photo. Leger’s office said in a news release on Friday that a report of findings from an investigation into atypical neurological symptoms will be delayed until January. BRUNSWICK NEWS ARCHIVESArticle content

The province has missed another deadline to present a report of its investigation into atypical neurological symptoms among New Brunswick patients – the so-called “mystery disease.”

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In a news release Friday afternoon, the office of the chief medical officer of health said it will release the final report of its investigation into cases of undiagnosed neurological illness in January.

It’s the second time this year the province has delayed the report presentation.

In March, chief medical officer Dr. Yves Léger announced his office had received enough patient data to conduct a probe in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

The investigation of 222 patients, Léger said, would address concerns raised by neurologist Dr. Alier Marrero of elevated levels of heavy metals and pesticides, such as glyphosate, metabolites, and glufosinate in those with unexplained neurological symptoms.

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Léger’s office said in May it had completed its initial data analysis and submitted the results to PHAC for scientific review and that the report would be presented in the summer, but in early September it was pushed to December.

The reason for the delay given in September was because Léger’s office had asked PHAC conduct a review of all the data collected as part of this investigation in accordance with a request from patient representatives. Additionally, Léger’s office was going to ensure formal data-sharing agreement – including consent from individual patients – was in place before his office shared data with the federal agency.

In Friday’s news release, no clear reasons were given for the report being pushed to the new year.

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Léger said in the release the work has involved significant collaboration with PHAC and other partners, and that his office has been working to ensure feedback from the various groups is included.

“We know New Brunswickers are eager to see the results of this work, which is why we are advising today that the release will happen in January 2026. The work is nearing completion, but it will take a little longer to finalize,” Léger said.

When asked for more details about the reason for the delay, the Department of Health used a statement from Friday’s press release.

“The Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health continues to work hard to ensure that feedback from its partners is properly considered and incorporated into the work on the report,” said spokesperson Sean Hatchard in an email.

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PHAC spokesperson Anna Maddison said in an email the federal health agency began a scientific review of the Léger’s office’s analysis of the available data related to undiagnosed neurological illness beginning in June. 4

The review was conducted by federal experts from PHAC and Health Canada, including scientists, epidemiologists, and medical advisors with relevant subject-matter knowledge and expertise in public health investigations.

“PHAC has provided its feedback to the NB OCMOH and, as per the jurisdiction’s recent news release, publication of the report is anticipated in January 2026,” she said.

In August PHAC also agreed at the request of the province to undertake an independent review of the available data, including the data Léger’s office analyzed and other data collected in the course of New Brunswick’s investigation. This is distinct from the investigation being taken on by the province.

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“In the interest of protecting individual privacy, a formal data sharing agreement, including individual consent, will need to be in place before any of the NB data can be shared with PHAC. This work, led by NB OCMOH, is underway,” said Maddison.

“Timelines for PHAC’s review of the available data will depend on the time required for NB OCMOH to obtain the individual consents and formalize the data sharing agreement necessary to permit the sharing of the data.”

PHAC deferred the newspaper’s questions about delays in the report presentation to the province.

Sarah Nesbitt, one of Marrero’s patients who also serves as a liaison for patients, told Brunswick News the report being pushed is disappointing, but will allow patients to enjoy the Christmas season with their families and friends.

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“It’s a relief because the closer we get to the end of December, the more anxious patients become, and it’s the holidays they should be enjoying time with their loved ones. (For) some of them, it might be their last Christmas with their loved ones,” she said.

Reflecting on the past year, Nesbitt said there have been some improvements in patients’ relationship to government, such as additional communication with the province, meetings with the premier, the health minister and his staff, as well as the province’s decision to send over the complete data to PHAC for review.

Brunswick News reported in July that Marrero had suggested much of the data he submitted was not properly analyzed before being sent to Ottawa or reduced to “virtually uninterpretable results” of MRIs, electroencephalograms, and various other types of scans.

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Marrero had also said all the neurological autoimmune antibodies were excluded, most of the heavy metal test results were not analyzed, and all the consulted specialists’ reviews of alternative diagnosis were left out.

Patient consent was another important aspect and Nesbitt noted patients have received letters giving them the option to withdraw consent for their data to be used in the investigation.

However, Nesbitt said patients are still looking for access to more resources and support and they continue to see delays in the investigation with no insights on what is making them ill.

“They still have no answers. They still have no treatments,” she said.

In the most recent provincial election in 2024, Susan Holt’s Liberals promised to reopen the investigation. After taking office, the Holt government initiated the process of an environmental review to look into Marrero’s concerns.

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Earlier this year, a peer-reviewed scientific journal debunked the existence of the mystery disease, presenting alternative diagnoses for patients and recommending those treated by Marrero seek a second opinion.

That study reached the same conclusion as a 2022 cross disciplinary provincial investigation of 48 patients, which determined a mystery disease did not exist and the subjects did not suffer from a common illness.

Nesbitt said many patients continue to have hope in the province’s investigation and what information the report will bring, but there is a lingering mistrust and fear of a repeat of findings from the previous probe.

She is still holding on to faith that answers will come on what is causing the unexplained symptoms and work will be done to prevent other New Brunswickers from getting sick.

“We’re just in the waiting game to find out what happens and what do we do about it,” she said. “We want to save lives… The longer this drags out, the more people are dying.”

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Mystery disease report pushed to the new year, province says

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