Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: A Comprehensive Guide for Healthcare Personnel

CJD Aware! is a North Carolina-based, non-profit, information organization that was started in the spring of 2002 after the death of the founder's mother from the sporadic form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) on November 12, 2000. "We are proud to share with the public news about this excellent book, that is published by Chicago Spectrum Press," said Christy Brom, founder of CJD Aware! "It is one of the best books we've ever seen when it comes to dealing with the medical aspects of CJD." "My family and I were most fortunate with the medical profession here in North Carolina, when our mother was diagnosed with this disease," adds Ms. Brom.

"We have since learned that not many families were as lucky as we were, and that's why this book is so good. Section 1. in the book deals with the questions that families will invariably ask when a loved one has been diagnosed with CJD; Section 2. is geared specifically for healthcare professionals e.g. care of the patient, infection control and CJD exposure management, etc.; and Section 3. has important information for funeral homes regarding 'after death', transportation of the body, etc."

A brief exerpt from this book perfectly describes how insidious Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease is: "As long as we never encounter an organism that is resistant to formaldehyde and other embalming chemicals, and as long as we have the means to protect ourselves, we will always be able to serve the public with our skills. But what if, in the future, an organism comes along that we cannot destroy through embalming? What then? Well, the future is now. Such a disease exists. There is no diagnostic test for it. You can have it for up to 25 years and not know it. There is no vaccine. There is no cure. There is no treatment. It is infectious. It is always fatal. Formaldehyde doesn't touch it. There are no embalming chemicals that will kill it. Common methods of disinfection and sterilization won't kill it. It's called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease."

For a picture of this book, and information on how to obtain it, go to this link:
www.angelfire.com/md3/cjdaware/resources.html