-Caveat Lector- Interim report issued after almost two years of 'mad cow' inquiry LONDON (AP) - Serum extracted from British cattle was still being used to manufacture human vaccines up until 1991 - six years after the first case of so-called "mad cow disease" was discovered, according to a report issued Thursday. Pharmaceutical companies stopped using British bovine serum in the early 1990s, the report noted, but it is unclear how long the existing vaccine stock remained on the shelves. The 226-page interim report is a summary of expert testimony and information gathered during the first 22 months of an inquiry into bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the technical name for "mad cow." The report shows that bovine materials were used in numerous vaccines before 1991, including children's vaccines for mumps, measles and rubella, and adult vaccines for diphtheria and tetanus. In 1990, the government's BSE Working Group said it believed benefits from the vaccinations outweighed the "very remote risk to the population," the report noted. Nonetheless, the group asked pharmaceutical manufacturers to stop using British bovine products "as soon as possible," it said. The names of the pharmaceutical companies and their products were not included in the report. Scientists believe there may be a connection between BSE and a new strain of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which has been linked to 46 deaths in Britain since the mid-1980s. The spongiform diseases eat holes in the brains of victims, and no cure has been discovered. In August, the European Union lifted a ban on British beef exports that had been imposed in 1996 because of fears of the new disease. The BSE inquiry is expected to wrap up Dec. 17 and a final report submitted to Parliament by the end of March. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
