Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: 3rd case reported in Moncton, New Brunswick

By NewsDesk @bactiman63

Moncton is a city of some 85,000 people in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. In a CBC report today, it is reported that a third Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) case this year–all three cases had cataract surgery at the Moncton Hospital.

In April, Moncton Hospital reported the identification two separate cases where a patient with probable Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) had cataract surgery in the facility.

Dr. Gordon Dow, division head of infectious diseases at the Moncton Hospital, said even he was shocked when another case of CJD was discovered.

“I think even though there’s the overwhelming weight of evidence suggesting that we’ve had a cluster of sporadic cases, there is no need for public alarm,” Dow said.

“This is not an indication that there’s been an outbreak of CJD.”

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Prion diseases are rare, fatal, degenerative brain disorders that are thought to occur worldwide in both humans and animals. They belong to the general category of brain diseases called proteinopathies, which also includes Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although there are several forms of human prion disease, the most common is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

Since Jan. 1998, Canada has reported 1,037 definitive and probable CJD cases and New Brunswick has seen 31 cases during this period.

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