A rare and deadly brain disease with a 100% fatality rate has now struck three people in Hood River County, Oregon — a statistical anomaly that has local health officials scrambling for answers.
As reported by Live Science, one case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) has been officially confirmed via autopsy, while two more are considered probable, based on symptoms and medical evaluations. Two of the individuals have already died.
The announcement came via a statement released April 14 by the Hood River County Health Department, which confirmed that these three cases — all in the same small county of just 24,000 residents — have surfaced in the past eight months. If that’s not enough to raise eyebrows, experts say the U.S. typically sees only about 350 cases of CJD per year. For a rural Oregon county to see three on its own? That’s statistically rare — and more than a little unsettling.
CJD, often compared to "mad cow disease," is a prion disease, meaning it's caused by misfolded proteins that basically wreak havoc on brain tissue. These abnormal proteins — called prions — cause sponge-like holes to form in the brain, rapidly leading to confusion, hallucinations, coordination issues, personality changes, and eventually complete mental and physical shutdown. There is no cure. Death typically occurs within a year of diagnosis, often much sooner.
“At this time, there is no identifiable link between these three cases,” the health department noted in its statement.
And that’s part of what makes this more chilling. The type of CJD confirmed in Hood River County hasn’t yet been publicly disclosed, but health officials say it does not appear to be linked to infected cattle or contaminated food sources — meaning sporadic or genetic forms are more likely. Even so, experts remain cautious.
Trish Elliott, director of the Hood River County Health Department, told The Oregonian that confirming CJD requires examining the brain and cerebrospinal fluid — procedures that can only happen after death and often take months to complete.
So far, the cases appear to be unconnected, but investigations are ongoing. The Oregon Health Authority and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have joined the effort to trace potential causes or common exposures.
For those wondering whether to panic: probably not. According to the health department, “The risk of getting CJD is extremely low. It does not spread through the air, touch, social contact, or water.”
Still, for a close-knit community like Hood River, the sudden presence of a mad cow-like illness that’s always fatal understandably feels like something out of a horror movie. And with no known source, no cure, and no clear explanation, it’s the kind of mystery that lingers.
Health officials say they will continue monitoring the situation and update the public if any new risks are identified.
Stay tuned, Oregon.
