By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

A joint symposium on by the control of spread of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) was held with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Korean Neurological Society Saturday.

Image/Robert Herriman

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a type of (transmissible spongiform encephalopathies) TSE or prion disease that occurs in humans and is classified into sporadic CJD, genetic CJD, and iatrogenic CJD depending on the route of infection.

CJD has an incubation period of several years to several decades, but cognitive dysfunction and neurological symptoms (visual impairment, gait disturbance, dystonia, Dyskinesia, etc.) is a rapidly progressing infectious disease with high severity.

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The Korean Centers for Disease Control reported a total of 67 cases occurred in Korea in 2021, and the trend has been gradually increasing over the past five years–  38 in 2017 → 54 in 2018 → 53 in 2019 → 64 in 2020 → 67 in 2021.

Analyzing the number of occurrences by type as of 2021– About 85% (57 cases) of sporadic CJD (sporatic CJD, sCJD) occurred without any particular cause, and about 15% (10 cases) of genetic CJD (gCJD), which spreads and occurs through heredity. 

During the symposium, in-depth discussions were held on the necessity of preventive management at medical institutions to block secondary transmission of CJD, the need for autopsies on CJD patients, the role of autopsy centers, and measures to strengthen the CJD surveillance system.

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