§ Mr. Terry DavisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease have been diagnosed in the United Kingdom during each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. FreemanWhen this illness was last studied in detail for England and Wales (1980–84 inclusive), the incidence of identified and confirmed Creutzfeldt Jakob disease was 0.49 per million. The purpose of the study to be conducted by Dr. R. G. Will, referred to in my reply to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies) on 10 January at column665, is to make a more accurate assessment of cases of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease than that available from death certificates alone. Since 1979, Creutzfeldt Jakob disease has been given on death certificates as the underlying cause of death in about 30 deaths a year in England and Wales.