Prevention

There's no known way to prevent sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). If you have a family history of neurological disease, you may benefit from talking with a genetics counselor. He or she can help you sort through the risks associated with your situation.

Preventing iatrogenic CJD

Hospitals and other medical institutions follow clear policies to prevent iatrogenic CJD. These measures have included:

• Exclusive use of man-made human growth hormone, rather than the kind derived from human pituitary glands
• Destruction of surgical instruments used on the brain or nervous tissue of someone with known or suspected CJD
• Single-use kits for spinal taps (lumbar punctures)

To help ensure the safety of the blood supply, people with a risk of exposure to CJD or vCJD aren't eligible to donate blood in the United States. This includes people who:

• Have a biological relative who has been diagnosed with familial CJD
• Have received a dura mater brain graft
• Have received cadaveric human growth hormone
• Spent at least three months in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1996
• Spent five years or more in France or Ireland between1980 and 2001
• Received a blood transfusion in the U.K., France or Ireland since 1980

The U.K., as well as some other countries, also has certain restrictions regarding blood donations from people with a risk of exposure to CJD or vCJD.

Preventing vCJD

The risk of getting vCJD in the United States remains very low. Only four cases have been reported in the U.S. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), strong evidence suggests that these cases were acquired in other countries outside of the U.S.

In the United Kingdom, where the majority of vCJD cases have occurred, fewer than 200 cases have been reported. CJD incidence peaked in the U.K. between 1999 and 2000 and has been declining since. A very small number of other vCJD cases also have been reported in other countries worldwide.

To date, there is no evidence that people can develop vCJD from consuming meat of animals infected with CWD prions. Nonetheless, the CDC recommends that hunters strongly consider having deer and elk tested before eating the meat in areas where CWD is known to be present. In addition, hunters should avoid shooting or handling meat from deer or elk that appear sick or are found dead.

Regulating potential sources of vCJD

Most countries have taken steps to prevent BSE-infected tissue from entering the food supply, including:

• Tight restrictions on importation of cattle from countries where BSE is common
• Restrictions on animal feed
• Strict procedures for dealing with sick animals
• Surveillance and testing methods for tracking cattle health
• Restrictions on which parts of cattle can be processed for food