People living in and around the area of Leicestershire affected by the cluster will be kept informed of the progress and results of the investigation. Anybody who has any concerns should contact their family doctor for advice. Nationally, variant CJD patients are young, usually under the age of 35, some are as young as 12 years old. They often present with an unexplained fall. There are psychiatric symptoms in the early stages.
Patients are often depressed, unable to concentrate and have some loss of short-term memory.
They also often have mood swings where they can become unreasonably and uncontrollably angry. They may walk with a slightly wide roll.