Guest guest Posted December 28, 1998 Report Share Posted December 28, 1998 BSE, CASE SURGE - IRELAND (03) BSE, case surge - Ireland 981130210323 BSE, case surge - Ireland (02) 981204175510] Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1998 23:00:26 -0500 Source: ANIMALNET & The Irish Times, 24 Dec 1998, edited This has apparently been the worst year on record for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in the Irish herd with the publication of the December figures. These statistics showed that the 10 new cases diagnosed in December brought to 83 the total of BSE-infected cows found in the State this year. Last year there were three fewer cases and in the previous year, 1996, which was a crisis year for the European beef industry, there were 74 cases. Department of Agriculture officials last night pointed out that the infection rate in the Republic of Ireland is very low given the fact that there are 7.8 million cattle in Ireland, an infection rate of 1:100,000 animals. A veterinary source was quoted as saying, " The number of cases we have had in Ireland in the last nine years is only 352. That figure is equal to what the British authorities were finding in a single week when the disease was at its height in that country. " Experts were cited as believing that the disease will disappear from the Irish herd in about three years when the last animals to have been fed on contaminated cattle rations are diagnosed. The British authorities had, according to this story, expected to be rid of the disease by 2000 but they discovered that cross-contamination of cattle rations had continued at mills where pig and poultry rations were being processed by the same rollers. Two years ago, following advice from the British authorities, Ireland moved to separate pig and poultry feed processing and now the plants are dedicated ones and are not allowed to mix the processing. This should eliminate the main cause of the disease unless farmers feed pig and poultry rations to their cattle, which could perpetuate BSE. [Written by: MacConnell] -- ProMED-mail e-mail: promed@... [Thankfully the 1998 incidence has not gone to 140 animals but has remained close to the 1997 total. One hopes, as Dan indicated in the previous posting, this surge reflects better case finding & reporting more than a real change. - Mod.MHJ] ...................................mhj/es Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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