Volume 9: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Part 1: Wales
5. Chronological account of specific Welsh issues
Identification of vCJD

5.75 In January 1994 reports emerged of a teenager suspected to be suffering from CJD. Dr Ludlow received a press release concerning the teenager, who was Welsh and being treated in Wales. ¹ In September 1995, CJD was suspected in a Welsh farm worker, the fourth British farm worker to be diagnosed with the disease. ² Dr Hine said that she became aware in October 1995 that there were two cases of sporadic CJD in teenagers. ³

5.76 On 14 March 1996, at a routine meeting of the four UK CMOs, ⁴ Dr Hine was informed for the first time that a new variant of CJD in persons under 42, including teenagers, had been identified, which involved new brain patterns and a shorter course of illness. During the next 24 hours she was involved in detailed discussions of the implications of this information in preparation for a statement to be made to Parliament by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Health the following week. According to Dr Hine, 'in view of the gravity and sensitivity of the new information', she returned to Wales on 15 March to brief Mr Michael Scholar, the Permanent Secretary, and Mr William Hague, the Secretary of State for Wales. ⁵