Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 2 July,Official Report, column 367, how many highly suspect cases of the new strain of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have been reported to the national surveillance unit in Edinburgh (a) up to the end of 1995, (b) in the quarter ending 31 March 1996 and (c) in the quarter ending 30 June 1996. [39846]
§ Mr. HoramI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) on 23 July,Official Report, column 215, which explained that the term "highly suspect case" is not used in respect of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. There are now 12 confirmed cases of the new variant of CJD. Of these, three died in 1995, five in the first quarter of 1996 and three in the second; one patient is still alive.
Mr. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the incubation period for(a) the normal strain as reported conventionally world wide, (b) the strain accidentally caused by pituitary hormone treatment and (c) the new strain reported on 20 March of CJD. [39843]
§ Mr. HoramThe vast majority of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are sporadic and occur spontaneously. It is not possible to ascertain how long a patient may have been incubating the disease before the clinical signs become evident. Studies of the Kuru epidemic in New Guinea showed incubation periods of between five and 30 years. In cases of iatrogenic infection incubation periods have varied from 18 months for central exposures to 25 years for peripheral exposures. The incubation time for the new variant of CJD is uncertain but is likely to be in the range of five to 20 years.