i am sorry to say that, according to what i have read about it (lots,
actually) you can't get rid of the prions that are believed to cause CJD by
any means. pasteurization, burning, irradiation, nothing. so, it could
technically occur in breastmilk. however, its just another risk/benefit sort
of thing. the risks of formula feeding (which could well contain the prions
anyway) far exceed the risks of breastfeeding.

i thought i read that in the us people who have been in england for some
period of time can't donate blood? also, although kathy d. points out that
the people exposed through recombinant growth hormone developed the disease
many years later, that isn't always the case. some people get ill and die
very quickly.

this came up in a private conversation recently, along the lines of could a
breastpump be contaminated? the ones that could theoretically get milk back
in the pump mechanism could be (this time i better not say the brand name).

the related illnes "kuru" (a variant of cjd) would sometimes affect children,
who then died very soon. it didn't always take decades to kill.

carol brussel IBCLC

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