United States: The government health authorities in Hood River County, Oregon, are examining three cases of the seldom encountered fatal brain condition Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).
Two county residents have died from the disease after officials counted a total of 24,000 residents in the population, according to Oregon Live.
More about the news
The infectious proteins known as prions lead to the development of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The disease proteins create brain harm that results in quick dementia manifestations together with motor difficulties and behavioral irregularities.
CJD remains incurable since death is the inevitable outcome of the condition.
National Institutes of Health reports that 350 Americans receive annual diagnoses of this illness in the United States.
Health officials in Hood River County, Oregon, are investigating three cases of a rare and fatal brain disease known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Two people have died from the illness, and a third case is still being reviewed. #news #healthnews https://t.co/kReGImTa0Y
— HealthDay News (@HealthDayTweets) April 14, 2025
Laboratory tests confirmed one CJD case through brain examination in Hood River County, but medical experts believe two more patients also had this disease.
What are the experts stating?
According to Trish Elliott, director of the Hood River County Health Department, “We’re trying to look at any common risk factors that might link these cases … but it’s pretty hard in some cases to come up with what the real cause is,” US News reported.
Testing brain and spinal fluid after death represents the only method for disease confirmation, according to Elliott. The duration required to view the effects of the symptoms can stretch over multiple months.
The majority of individuals diagnosed with CJD show sporadic characteristics leading to their first onset since no origin has been established.
Scientists consider sporadic cases to represent 85% of all CJD cases. Two out of the three identified CJD cases arise from genetic transmission of disease-causing genes through family lines, as stated in Oregon Live. Rarely does the disease develop from eating infected beef.
The Hood River cases do not show signs of being connected to infectious elements found in cattle, according to Elliott.
Elliott declined to share any information regarding the infected people or their relationships with each other. The National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland is directed by Dr. Brian Appleby, who explains that CJD identification happens through examining brain tissue under a microscope while testing for prion proteins, as US News reported.
Through genetic testing, experts can establish if the CJD case originated from an inherited background.
Hood River County Health Department has informed local medical providers about looking out for symptoms, including quick dementia onset combined with movement disorders and changes in behavior patterns.