Texas Health Dept. Questionnaire

[Guest guest]

I stay in regular contact with the TDH because I don't believe for a minute

that they are doing their job and staying on top of active CJD cases and

deaths. I have talked to a couple of people in the East Texas area (where we

had the large cluster of cases last year) and both received telephone calls

several months ago from a doctor at the TDH. This was a telephone interview

that lasted 2 - 3 hours and smelled just like a verbal questionnaire to me!

Why, you ask, would they resort to a verbal questionnaire? Either because

they didn't have the " funds " to send it out in the mail (not very likely --

think of the money it costs to have a doctor sit on the phone for hours!!) or

they don't want anything written down so others will not be able to look at

it. I tend to think it is the latter rather than the former.

As far as TDH doing anything about the number of cases, I have personally sent

Rawlings names and death dates of victims (some areas with low

populations have multiple cases in a year's time) and as far as I am aware, no

one has contacted these families. Just yesterday, I sent her another email

concerning another case in an area where we have had several cases. I haven't

heard back from her yet, but I did ask her point blank just exactly what they

plan to do. I am very, very concerned because I know so many of these

victims....I am not buying the 1 in a million because I don't know a million

people -- however, I do know 5 people right now that have either died or are

dying from CJD.

Beverly G.