Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and blood transfusion

A prion disease that has long been known to occur in humans is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), which has a virtually stable incidence of approximately one per million person years. In 1996 a new variant of the disease (vCJD) was recognised in the United Kingdom. The incidence of vCJD appears to be increasing. Up until the 3rd January 2001 vCJD had been diagnosed in 88 patients, 83 of whom have died. In France there have been two deaths from vCJD. The disease has been identified in a third patient. It is unclear how the situation will develop in the United Kingdom and in the rest of Europe.