CJD risk to 38 hospital patients in Wales

Thirty eight patients have been warned they may be at risk of contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) following surgery in South Wales.

Those at risk have been contacted by Public Health Wales, after it was discovered that a patient who underwent surgery in a hospital in the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Health Board area was at high risk of the brain disease.

CJD is a degenerative brain disease caused by a type of infectious agent, known as prions. Prion protein is normally found on the surface of human cells, including those found in the brain.

Disease-causing prions are able to lead other normal prion proteins on the surface of cells to change shape and spread, causing brain disease. There is currently no treatment or cure for CJD.

All patients contacted underwent surgery between 2007 and 2009, and were operated on with the same surgical instruments.

In a statement, Public Health Wales said the risk of transmission of CJD from one patient to another via surgical instruments is "extremely low".

To date, there have only been six cases worldwide of any form of CJD being transmitted in this way.

Dr Jörg Hoffmann, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control for Public Health Wales, said: “In this incident, we do not have a single confirmed case of CJD.

"However, we do have one patient who was at high risk and 38 people at extremely low risk.

“We know that all the surgical instruments used on this group of patients were cleaned, disinfected and sterilised normally. However, it is possible that the proteins that cause CJD, known as prions, survived these routine sterilisation procedures so an extremely small risk of transmission remains.

“We have identified and written to all patients concerned to make them aware of the extremely low risk. They have been offered information and support and a helpline has been set up for anyone who has received a letter and has further questions.

“All patients at risk have been contacted and there is no risk to anybody else. People who have had any type of surgery in the Abertawe Bo Morgannwg Health Board area since 2007 but who have not been contacted by us have no reason at all to worry.”

This article was published on Tue 29 March 2011