The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on its homepage (www.cdc.gov) said the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (NPDPSC) “ruled out the possibility of vCJD as the cause of death of a young Virginia woman who died earlier this year. Although this suspected case received international media attention, NPDPSC determined that the cause of death was not due to vCJD.”

The MBC news program "PD Diary" reported that Aretha Vinson died of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) in early April when in an interview, Vinson's mother actually said, "The results had come in from the MRI and it appeared that our daughter could possibly have CJD," not vCJD.

The Center explained that as of June 2008, a total of three people were reported to have died from vCJD in the U.S. All three cases “were epidemiologically linked to likely exposures to cattle products contaminated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, commonly known as ‘mad cow disease’) while residing in the United Kingdom (two cases) or Saudi Arabia (one case).”

In a telephone interview with the Chosun Ilbo, CDC spokesman Dave Daigle on Monday said the centers posted the announcement after performing their own checkup once the NPDPSC finished its investigation. He added that because the CDC only provide information on diseases, they have no plans to make a separate press release on the issue including the result of the investigation.

The NPDPSC was set up by the CDC and the American Association of Neuropathologists to strengthen checks on various prion diseases. Doctors in the U.S. are recommended to take advantage of the diagnostic service provided by the NPDPSC to check the condition of patients who are suspected of contracting CJD or vCJD. "PD Diary" touched off a public uproar over the import of U.S. beef after it reported on April 29 that the woman, identified as Arlene Vinson was likely to have died of vCJD.

(englishnews@chosun.com )