This resolution supports the goals and ideals of "Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Awareness Day" and recognizes the importance of raising awareness about CJD. It names November 12, 2025, as an awareness day. The text describes CJD as a rare, fatal brain disorder caused by prions. It states CJD occurs in about 1 to 2 cases per million people each year (about 600 cases annually in the United States). The resolution says about 85% of cases are sporadic, 10 to 15% are genetic, and fewer than 1% are acquired. Early symptoms may include failing memory, behavior changes, poor coordination, and vision problems. As CJD gets worse, people may have serious mental decline, involuntary movements, blindness, limb weakness, and coma. Death usually comes within a few months to one year after symptoms start. The text says CJD causes about 1 in 6,000 deaths each year in the United States. It emphasizes the need for prion disease surveillance, including examining postmortem human brain tissue, to detect cases and to learn whether diseases in animals like bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or chronic wasting disease (CWD) can spread to people. The resolution notes that CWD has been detected in over 36 States and all four regions of the country. It names the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center as the only laboratory-based organization in the United States that monitors human prion diseases. The resolution also says Alzheimer’s and related dementia research could benefit from studying prion diseases and that caregiver and health services research for dementias should be applied to prion diseases.
The resolution publicly recognizes CJD and the harms it causes, and it highlights the need for testing, monitoring, and research. It raises awareness of the disease, the work of the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, and connections between prion research and dementia research. It also calls attention to the challenges faced by patients, families, and caregivers. The text does not detail any specific programs or funding.
No publicly available information.
Supporters say CJD is a rare but rapidly progressive and fatal brain disorder that needs more attention. They emphasize the importance of surveillance to detect prion diseases and to study possible links between animal prion diseases (like BSE or CWD) and human illness. They point to the role of the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center and the potential for prion research to inform Alzheimer’s and related dementia studies. They also highlight the heavy and rapid burden CJD places on patients, families, and caregivers.
No publicly available information.