Ceist:
553 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of cases of CJD for each of the past five years; the number of cases of vCJD for the same period; and the number of suspected cases of vCJD. [22043/01]
Written Answers. - CJD Incidence.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, CJD, and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, vCJD, are notifiable diseases under the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations, 1996, which came into effect on 16 December 1996. Under the regulations all cases of CJD and vCJD which are definitively diagnosed are required to be reported. The number of cases of CJD reported in each of the years since 1997 is as follows:
|
1997 (to date) |
3 |
|
1998 (to date) |
6 |
|
1999 (to date) |
1 |
|
2000 (to date) |
2 |
|
2001 (to date) |
1 |
There was also one case of vCJD in 1999.
The number of persons who have died of CJD in 1995 and 1996 was two and three respectively.
Variant CJD is confirmed by a pathological examination of brain tissue, which is always carried out post mortem.