| 12/29/2003 Milk from US Mad Cow is Safe to Drink, FDA Says - 12/29 Reuters Mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE ), is a brain-wasting disease in cattle. A human form of BSE has been linked to the deaths of more than 130 people, mostly in Britain. The infected cow was slaughtered on Dec. 9 and a tissue sample was diagnosed with BSE on Tuesday, two weeks later. BSE is transmitted through contaminated brain, spinal cord or nervous system tissue. "The scientific data indicate that milk from BSE cows does not transmit BSE," the FDA said in a statement. "National and international public health organizations have consistently stated that milk and milk products are safe regardless of whether the country producing them has had cases of BSE." The FDA said it sent "several teams" of investigators to Washington state to help the U.S. Agriculture Department trace the animal's history and source of feed. "Although the investigation is now in its earliest stages, so far there is only one identified probable case of BSE," the FDA said. "At this point there is no reason to believe that more than one cow is involved, especially given USDA's stepped-up sampling of animals most susceptible to BSE." The FDA, which regulates livestock drugs and feed, in 1997 banned the use of cattle remains to be ground up into protein supplements for other cattle. However, cattle remains can still be fed to poultry and pigs. Investigators are focusing on the possibility of contaminated animal feed as a way that the Washington state cow may have been infected. Related Link: http://www.reuters.com |
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