The HSE has been criticised for unnecessary secrecy over the CJD scare at Beaumont Hospital after management refused to answer basic questions about the incident.

Almost 50 people have already lived through the fear of contracting CJD from contaminated surgical instruments before the current scare at Beaumont.

Despite the rareness of a CJD diagnosis in Ireland, there have been a number of high-profile incidents involving the lethal condition in recent years.