A CASE of Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease has been notified to the Department of Health following the death of a woman last month. The case did not involve the new form of CJD, which has been linked to the consumption of BSE-infected beef products.
The woman died early in March and an autopsy confirmed she had the disease.
CJD is a very rare incurable disorder which affects the brain. It is the human version of spongiform encephalopathy which in cattle is known as BSE and in sheep as scrapie.
Only 20 CJD cases have been confirmed here since 1980, according to research carried out for the Department of Health. All confirmed cases must be reported to the Department although there is no requirement to complete an autopsy to confirm a diagnosis of CJD.
Researchers in Scotland caused a sensation just over a year ago when they announced the discovery of a new form of CJD which they believed was caused by BSE infected meat products. About 15 cases of this new form have been identified in the UK, including one in Northern Ireland. No cases of this type have been identified in the Republic.
