State of Delaware Adds Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease To Their Reportable List

"CJD Aware! was very pleased to hear this news," commented Christy Brom, founder
and director of the Louisiana-based, non-profit, information organization. "As of today,
34-states have Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease as a required reportable disease on their list.
We also have five states that are currently pending, including the recently added state of Louisiana."
Infectious diseases account for millions of deaths every year. This is true not only worldwide, but
in the United States as well. Surveillance for infectious diseases involves efforts both at the local and
state levels, as well as federal. Local health officials report diseases to state health
departments. State public health departments verify reported cases of diseases,
monitor disease incidence, identify possible outbreaks within their state, and report
this information to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC
uses the reports of diseases from the states to monitor national health trends, formulate
and implement prevention strategies, and evaluate state and federal disease prevention
efforts.

Reporting a suspected case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) to a state health department
is just one of the important steps in dealing with this rare disease. Surveillance also includes
autopsy and neuropathology (changes in the brain produced by a disease) evaluation. According to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an autopsy is the only way to 100% confirm
a CJD diagnosis. The National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (NPDPSC) in
Cleveland, Ohio, can accomplish this when provided with brain tissue samples post mortem. The
benefits to this procedure cannot be stressed enough. An autopsy from brain tissue not only
confirms the CJD diagnosis, but makes the tissue available for doctors and researchers in their
continuing surveillance on Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

"CJD Aware! is pleased with the progress each state Health Department is making in revising
rules and regulations to add Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease as a reportable disease," added Ms. Brom.
"We're sure that in the future, all 50-states will have CJD as a reportable disease, and the obstacle
about performing an autopsy will be eliminated."