Patients Possibly Exposed to Brain Disease

At Emory University hospital, more than 500 patients have a chance of exposure to a disease similar to mad cow disease. The disease is the sporadic form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) which is a brain disease that eventually leads to death. Patients that have undergone surgeries and possibly came in contact with the same surgery tools as used on the patient with CJD are being notified. There is nothing the patients can do about the exposure, however the hospital is offering counseling for anyone that feels they need it. Sterilization procedures at the hospital greatly reduce the chance that any of these patients have the disease, however it is possible.