Status: U From: Ross Gould <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Black-Ink <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: GRAZE-L POSTING <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Organization: @Home Network X-Accept-Language: en,pdf Subject: [Graze-l] BSE CASE IN CANADA SHOULD NOT CAUSE PANIC Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-BeenThere: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13 Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Unsubscribe: <http://graze-l.witt.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/graze-l>, <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List-Id: Grazing and Pastoral Farming Discussion List <graze-l.witt.ac.nz> List-Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List-Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List-Subscribe: <http://graze-l.witt.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/graze-l>, <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List-Archive: <http://graze-l.witt.ac.nz/pipermail/graze-l/> Date: Tue, 03 Jun 2003 15:57:58 -0600 X-Spam-Status: No, hits=-0.9 required=10.0 tests=KNOWN_MAILING_LIST version=2.55 X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 2.55 (1.174.2.19-2003-05-19-exp)
Good Afternoon List Friends, This URL was picked up this morning from the Food Safety Net clipping service out of the University of Guelph. http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2003/18603-en.html
It points out that, "The identification of a single case of BSE is not a cause for panic," said FAO's Andrew Speedy, Animal Production and Health Division.
"It is good news that odd single cases of BSE are being picked up by inspection. There has been no sign of an escalation of numbers in any of the countries that have identified isolated cases. Rather, it demonstrates that active surveillance is picking up the one-in-a-million case."
The "one-in-a-million case" comment is interesting. After more than two weeks following the single cow in Canada back to the source, they have still found no other infected animals in the depopulated herds. My personal suspicion is that they will not find any others infected, and that they will find no source of contaminated feed either. It is more likely that BSE, like CJD in humans, occurs spontaneously in roughly one animal in a million. The problem in the UK was that central nervous system tissue from one or more infected animals got into the feed of other cattle, causing the escalation of the outbreak. Now that we have restrictions on those feeding practices the FAO pointed out in the article that a few cases have been found in many countries round the world but that it has not spread because of new feed restrictions and "effective government programs to find and destroy the disease,"
The "one-in-a-million" comment also has other implications. It suggests that virtually every country which has cattle likely has a rare spontaneous case of BSE, and that the only reason we have not found it in North America until now is that we have not been checking enough animals. An interesting thought.
Regards Ross Gould, P.Ag. Calgary, Alberta
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