-Caveat Lector-
>From TheIndependent (UK)
> Sicilians infected by cow disease
>
> By Frances Kennedy
>
> Investigators in Sicily believe the Mafia is behind an unexplained
> rise in cases of the animal disease brucellosis among humans.
>
> A report in La Repubblica newspaper said Cosa Nostra is marketing a
> vaccine that prevents cows with the bacterial disease from testing
> positive. The undetected sick animals are passing the bacterium on to
> humans by direct contact or through dairy products.
>
> The probe began when magistrates noted a steady increase in cases of
> brucellosis in humans while the frequency of the disease in animals
> was declining. The number of animals identified with the disease
> dropped from 4 per cent in 1996 to 2.5 per cent in 1998. Yet compared
> to the 748 human cases in 1996, last year's figures are expected to be
> above 1,000.
>
> Sicily accounts for nearly half of those suffering from the illness.
> As well as farmers and vets, traditionally at risk, others often pick
> it up by eating unpasteurised cheeses such as ricotta, a staple of
> local cuisine. The disease, though not fatal, causes high fever,
> drenching sweats, weakness and depression and, in severe cases, can
> lead to pneumonia.
>
> Police believe a vaccine, known as RB51, is now freely available on
> the black market and that Cosa Nostra is marketing it hard,
> capitalising on farmers anxious not to destroy sick beasts. The
> vaccine camouflages the bacteria, making them invisible in regular
> screening of herds.
>
> La Repubblica also offers an explanation as to why the Mafia is
> pushing the vaccine. Until recently, the Sicilian government
> reimbursed farmers for any beasts that had to be put down. The
> payments have now stopped. Although its activities now span the globe,
> the roots of Cosa Nostra are rural. Most of the main clans, especially
> the fierce Corleonesi, still have their bases in the countryside and
> control vast tracts of farmland near Palermo.
>
> When the "mad cow" scare first broke in Europe, there was concern the
> Mafia might exploit the crisis and sell infected meat in Italy. The
> only case of the disease detected in Italy was in Sicily in 1994. The
> infected animals, which had come from Britain were supposed to be
> destroyed.
>
> However, when the local authorities were slow in providing
> compensation, the farmer, who had a record of involvement with the
> Mafia, reported the beasts lost.
A<>E<>R
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