HC Deb 25 March 1994 vol 240 cc461-2W
Mr. Martyn Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many recorded human deaths from spongiform encephalopathies there have been in the United Kingdom in each year since 1964; and how many of each were diagnosed as being specifically Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Mr. Sackville

Surveillance of human spongiform encephalopathies (SEs) in the United Kingdom is primarily concerned with the identification of cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). However, since 1990 when the UK CJD surveillance unit was established, there have been improvements in the methods of identification of Gerstmann-Strausser-Scheinker syndrome, an extremely rare familial form of human SE. There have also been considerable advances in the methods of identification of human SEs generally since the 1960s.

The tables show recorded cases of CJD and GSS from 1964–1993. During this period there have been five separate studies using differing methodologies. The figures are therefore not directly comparable.

Table 1: CJD by year of onset
(Retrospective study: England and Wales)
Year Number of cases
1964 4
1965 1
1966 4
1967 1
1968 7
1969 4
Total 21

Table 2: Deaths from definite and probable cases of CJD
(Retrospective study: England and Wales)
Year Number of cases
1970 10
1971 13
1972 9
1973 16
1974 17
1975 8
1976 16
1977 19
1978 25
1979 16
Total 149

Table 3: Deaths from definite and probable cases of CJD and incidence of GSS
(Prospective study: England and Wales)
Year Number of cases
CJD GSS
1980 23 1
1981 22 —
1982 24 —
1983 21 —
1984 32 —
Total 122 1

Table 4: Deaths from definite and probable and incidence of GSS (United Kingdom retrospective study by CJD surveillance unit)
Year Number of cases
CJD GSS
1985 28 —
1986 26 —
1987 22 1
1988 23 —
1989 31 —
Total 130 1
Table 5: Deaths from definite and probable cases of CJD and incidence of GSS (ongoing United Kingdom prospective study by CJD surveillance unit from 1 May 1990)
Year Number of cases
CJD GSS
1990 130 —
1991 36 —
1992 49 2
1993 229 32
Total 144 4
112 from 1 January to 30 April. 18 from 1 May to 31 December.
2Provisional total
3One of these patients is still alive

The final figure for 1993 may show some increase over the provisional total as diagnoses of people dying in 1993 is confirmed restrospectively. It is most unlikely, however, to reach the 1992 figure.