Updated Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease infection control guidelines: sifting facts from fiction

New guidelines aimed at reducing iatrogenic disease and discrimination against patients

Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder which causes the death of about 25–30 Australians each year, giving an average mortality rate of 1.2 cases/million/year.1 It is untreatable. CJD is the commonest human form of prion disease2 and is a notifiable disease in all Australian states and territories, with notification to the relevant jurisdictional health department required for all cases in which a strong clinical suspicion for CJD exists.