Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is one of the human forms of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), also referred to as Prion diseases. The Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry (ANCJDR) was established in October 1993 in response to the recognition of four probable Australian human pituitary hormone related CJD deaths. The ANCJDR is under contract to the Commonwealth to determine all suspect cases of TSE in Australia. Patients can be suspected with any of the various forms of TSE's, including classical CJD (sporadic or genetic). Acquired CJD is a separate class and includes both medically acquired CJD and the most recently recognized form identified in 1996, named Variant CJD (vCJD).
CJD has been scheduled as a notifiable disease in all Australian States and Territories. Please refer to the Communicable Disease Section of your local Health Department for further advice. Notification is indicated where a strong clinical suspicion for CJD exists.