Written question asked by John P Smith (Labour) on Tuesday, 31 October 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 November 2000. It was answered by Yvette Cooper (Labour) on Monday, 13 November 2000 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to raise the awareness of health practitioners of the early symptoms of new variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease; what recent research he has commissioned into methods of early identification of the symptoms of new variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease.

Answer: Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to raise the awareness of health practitioners of the early symptoms of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease; [136282] (2) what recent research he has commissioned into methods of early identification of the symptoms of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. [136281] Yvette Cooper: The National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit (CJDSU) continues to investigate all cases referred to it as possible variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) and keeps diagnostic criteria under constant review. Expanded criteria which allowed "probable vCJD" to be diagnosed for the first time in patients who are still alive were published in March 2000 in a Department of Health press release (2000/0153). All general practitioners were informed about these criteria in August 2000, through the Chief Medical Officer's Update. In addition, the CJDSU regularly sends reminders and updates on vCJD to neurologists throughout the United Kingdom.

Secondary information