THE CJD HOTLINE, set up by Beaumont Hospital after it was revealed that one of their patients contracted the deadly disease, received over 1,300 calls yesterday.

However, a spokesperson for Beaumont Hospital told TheJournal.ie that by this afternoon, the hotline received just 40 phone calls.

It comes after the hospital and the HSE announced yesterday that between 10 and 20 patients might be at risk following the use of contaminated surgical instruments.

All patients involved, or their family members, were contacted yesterday evening “to explain that that they have a slightly increased risk of getting CJD and to inform them of the precautions that they need to take to prevent any further transmission of the disease,” the HSE said in a statement.

For people who are still concerned they can call the hotline (1800 302 602) which will open again tomorrow from 12 noon until 4pm and from 8.30am to 11am on Monday.

Related: HSE: No ‘on-going’ CJD risk in Beaumont Hospital>
Explainer: What is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease?>

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