The preliminary phase of the study could take approximately two to three months, according to the director of Public Health of Estrie, Dr. Isabelle Samson.
She recalls that public health has not yet declared that there was an aggregate of cases.
“We found that there was enough credibility in the information for us to do our duty and investigate the cases. Afterwards, we will drill into the potential causes,” comments Dr. Isabelle Samson.
“I think we will be able to have an overview: is there room to move forward and do we have enough science to move forward? If the science is not there, we will be in a question mark,” she said about the beginnings of the investigation which is underway.
Estrie public health has received the report of a citizen whose spouse died of the disease last January.
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks the body’s nerve cells, causing muscle atrophy.
Julie Dubois, who has identified 18 cases in her community, has taken various steps in recent months. In particular, she launched an appeal to everyone on Facebook, in a group dedicated to the Windsor community.
Dr. Isabelle Samson, Director of Public Health in Estrie. (Jean Roy/Archives La Tribune)
It is still too early to know if the study will look at the entire Estrie territory, the Windsor/Saint-François-Xavier-de-Brompton sectors or the Val-Saint-François MRC.
Several steps remain to come, including confirmation of the cases and ensuring that it is indeed an aggregate of cases.
“If everything turns out to be true, we will especially look at the source of the aggregate to see if we can find a potential environmental cause.”
It can happen, in an aggregate case, that researchers find an environmental cause that existed in the past, but which no longer exists, says Dr. Samson.
“That could also be possible, because our society is fundamentally chemical, but standards are evolving.”
Dr. Samson emphasizes that it is not necessary to contact public health to identify cases, the organization has different tools to list them.
There are some treatments for ALS, but no known cure. (Provided)
It is also still too early to know what time scale will be studied, but we are generally talking about at least five years, notes Ms. Samson.
“If ever there was a basis for excess cases, we would go by onion skin,” she said, giving the example of a spectrum of five to ten years.
Estrie public health will be supported by Dr. Angela Genge from the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital.
If the preliminary phase raised other concerns, other partners such as the National Institute of Public Health could be called upon.
No known cure
People with ALS gradually lose the use of their limbs and also experience breathing problems. Although there are some treatments, there is no cure.
This disease is also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after a baseball player who suffered from it.
In 80% of cases, those affected generally die two to five years after diagnosis.
It is estimated that around 600 Quebecers are affected, and around 3,000 people in Canada. There is no specific test to diagnose the disease; it is therefore often diagnosed by elimination.
