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Hi Judith...it's Judith...that is scary! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! ----- Original Message ----- From: Judith Richards <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2000 5:08 AM Subject: NEWS-CJD-New Orleans Patients Exposed to Rare Brain Disease > Scary!!! > > New Orleans Patients Exposed to Rare Brain Disease > > http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001028/sc/health_brain_dc_2.html > > NEW ORLEANS, October 28, 2000 (Reuters) - Eight patients may have been > exposed to a rare and fatal brain ailment after they were operated on > with the same > instruments that had been used on a person who died of the illness, > officials at > Tulane University Hospital say. > > The patients were notified of the danger after it was discovered the > instruments may have been tainted with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a > variant > of which is linked to ``mad cow'' disease. > > The instruments received routine washing and sterilization after being > used > earlier on a patient later found to have died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob > disease, but > the hospital said Friday that the risk of spreading the brain-wasting > ailment > may not have been eliminated. > > The Wall Street Journal said the incident began in March when the > original patient underwent surgery, but the hospital in New Orleans did > not tell the other eight patients about the problem until this week. > > The hospital, in a statement by its vice president Alan Miller, said > only that the ``the eight patients who potentially have been exposed > have been contacted, and we are providing counseling and the related > medical care they need.'' Miller said the names of the people would not > be released. > > Medical experts said it was impossible to know if the patients, all of > whom underwent brain surgery, would contract the mysterious disease. > Symptoms may not develop for years and its presence is detected only > through autopsy, they said. > > Autopsy results on the original patient, which the Journal said were > known in May, found that the patient had Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, > which leaves the brain with holes and a sponge-like consistency. It > causes progressive dementia, loss of physical functions and death. > > Before the autopsy, the surgical tools that had been used on the > infected patient were used on the eight people now at risk. > > "After the patient was treated, the surgical instruments used were put > through normal washing and sterilization procedures and used in > operations involving eight other patients,'' Miller said in a statement. > > "The Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease risk is reduced by washing, but not > eliminated by normal sterilization protocols. The eight patients who may > have been exposed ... might have some risk of contracting the disease,'' > he said. > > Miller said the tainted tools had been ``taken out of service'' and that > the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web > sites) had been notified. > > Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is related to bovine spongiform > encephalopathy, better known as mad cow disease, which is thought to be > transmitted to humans through the eating of infected beef. At least 70 > people in Great Britain have died from the bovine-related illness. > > The disease is thought to be transmitted through infected proteins > called "prions." > > The CDC estimates the annual incidence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob is about one > case per million people. > Copyright © 2000 Yahoo! Inc., and Reuters Limited. > > -- > Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada > [log in to unmask] > Today's Research... > Tomorrow's Cure >