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USDA: Study Shows Mad Cow Prevention Is Working in the U.S., and We Plan to Step Up Precautions
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released the findings of a landmark study by Harvard University that shows the risk of mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE) is very low in the United States. The report indicates that current protection systems have kept BSE out of the country and would prevent it from spreading if it did enter.
"The study�clearly shows that the years of early actions taken by the federal government to safeguard consumers have helped keep BSE from entering the United States," said Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman.
Since 1989, the USDA has banned the import of live cattle, sheep, goats and related animal products from the United Kingdom (UK). This ban was extended to Europe in 1997. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has prohibited the use of mammal protein in animal feed intended for cows and other livestock because the disease could be spread in this manner.
"Based on 3 years of thorough study, we are firmly confident that BSE will not become an animal or public heath problem in America," said George Gray, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis. "�if BSE were ever introduced, it would not become established. With the government programs already in place�the disease in the cattle herd would quickly die out, and the potential for people to be exposed to infected cattle parts that could transmit the disease is very low."
New Preventive Measures Proposed
Although the United States has a clean record where BSE is concerned, officials have opted to strengthen BSE programs and further reduce the risk of future problems. The USDA has outlined a series of actions that it would take, in cooperation with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to prevent the disease. These steps will undergo a period of rigorous scientific review before a final plan takes effect:
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A team of outside experts will review Harvard's risk assessment to assure its scientific integrity. |
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The USDA will more than double the number of BSE tests it conducts in the next fiscal year, from 5,000 in 2001 to 12,500 in 2002. |
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The USDA will publish additional regulatory options that might reduce the risk of exposure to infection in the U.S. food supply. The options will include stricter guidelines on the use of specified animals and body parts for consumption by humans and animals. A computer model will test the impact the measures would have on animal and public health. |
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The USDA will issue a proposed rule that would prohibit the use of certain stunning devices used to immobilize cattle during slaughter. |
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The USDA will publish a set of rules for disposal of dead animals on farms and ranches. Such animals are considered a potential threat for the spread of BSE to other animals.
Learn More About BSE |
BSE is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder that affects cattle. Worldwide, there have been more than 180,000 cases of BSE since the disease was first diagnosed in 1986 in the UK.
To date, there have been no cases of BSE found in U.S. cattle in 12 years of active surveillance. There also have been no reported cases of the variant form of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD), the human form of BSE, the cause of which is believed to be eating nerve tissue from BSE-infected cattle. Cases of vCJD have been suspected or confirmed in the UK, France, and Ireland.
References
1. "Harvard Study Shows Very Low Risk of BSE in the United States," Press release No. 0241.01, USDA, November 30, 2001.
2. "USDA & Harvard Announce Results of BSE Risk Assessment, with Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman," Transcript, USDA, November 30, 2001.
3. "Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)," USDA, November 2001.
Writer: Gary Gilles
Editors: Erin Murphy, Marie Boyle
Source of Material: Rockhill Communications, 14 Rock Hill Road
Bala, Cynwyd, PA 19004, (610) 667-2040, http://www.rockhillcommunications.com
Clinical Reviewer: Patt Panzer, M.D.
Date Written: 12/19/01
Dates Revised: 01/14/02
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