New Resolution Designates November 12, 2025, as CJD Awareness Day to Boost Rare Brain Disease Research

This resolution officially establishes November 12, 2025, as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Awareness Day. The core purpose is straightforward: to raise public awareness about CJD, a rare, rapidly progressive, and fatal brain disorder caused by prions. Affecting only about 600 people in the U.S. annually, this designation aims to bring a much-needed spotlight to a disease that moves quickly, often leading to death within a year of symptoms starting.

Why This Matters for Rare Disease Research

While this is an awareness resolution, it connects CJD to bigger health issues relevant to many families. The text specifically suggests that research focused on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias could benefit from studying prion diseases like CJD. Essentially, what we learn about one devastating brain disease might unlock doors for others. For families dealing with the long, slow progression of Alzheimer’s, this resolution signals that researchers are looking for connections and shared mechanisms, potentially accelerating breakthroughs across the board.

The Deer, the Beef, and the Prion Watch

One of the most practical sections of the resolution focuses on the need for comprehensive surveillance of prion diseases. This isn't just about CJD; it’s about making sure we understand how these diseases might jump from animals to humans. Specifically, the resolution notes the importance of monitoring whether humans can contract CJD from contaminated beef or from cervids (like deer and elk) affected by Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is already present in over 36 states. The resolution emphasizes that continued monitoring, particularly through postmortem brain tissue examination, is critical to evaluate if CWD poses a risk to people. This is a public health safety check, ensuring that health officials are paying attention to potential animal-to-human transmission risks that could affect everyday food safety.

Supporting Families in Crisis

CJD presents a unique burden on patients and caregivers because of its speed. Unlike diseases that progress over decades, CJD typically moves from diagnosis to death in months. This resolution recognizes that the support systems and research focused on caregivers for Alzheimer’s and other dementias should also be applied to CJD families, who face similar, but compressed, challenges. By establishing an awareness day, the Senate is lending official recognition to the intense emotional and logistical strain placed on the few hundred families dealing with this rapid decline each year, hopefully leading to better resources and support tailored to their immediate needs.