The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has adopted a new rule regarding the reporting of cases of ALS.

The fatal condition also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease has no cure and causes people to eventually lose their ability to move and speak. The new rule requires mandatory reporting for cases of ALS in Michigan. The rule went into effect in May, making Michigan the fifth state in the U.S. to implement mandatory ALS case reporting, which will improve the state’s ability to monitor the disease.

Dr. Eva Feldman, Director of the ALS Center of Excellence at the University of Michigan, told us about the new rule.

“We believe there are clusters of ALS in Michigan,” Feldman said. “We are concerned that there are environmental components and pollution that may contribute to these cases, as is the state of Michigan. So this is going to help us guide future research and future public health actions in the state.”

Feldman says the new case reporting rule is becoming standard in the U.S.