nvCJD deaths increase

[Guest guest]

Subj: Food Animal Concerns Trust: Deaths Linked to British...

Date: 4/8/99 11:33:33 AM Central Daylight Time

From: AOL News

BCC: LArmstr853

Food Animal Concerns Trust: Deaths Linked to British Beef Increase

CHICAGO, April 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Government statistics just published in

Great Britain reveal that there was an unusual increase in the number of

deaths from new variant Creutzfeldt- Disease (nvCJD) during the last

five months of calendar year 1998. This always fatal, new type of dementia

is now believed to be the form Mad Cow Disease takes when it infects humans.

In recent years Mad Cow Disease is estimated to have infected some one

million beef cattle in Britain, and nvCJD is believed to occur among

consumers who once ate beef from these cattle.

Since many infected cattle went into the British food supply and since nvCJD

has an extended incubation period of many years, it is feared that a

widespread public health crisis could result. So far, however, the incidence

of nvCJD has been rare. Three deaths in Britain were reported for 1995, ten

deaths were reported in 1996 and in 1997, and 15 deaths were reported on

March 1, 1999 for the year 1998.

According to Brown, President of Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT), an

analysis of these government statistics reveals that there were eleven deaths

from nvCJD in the last five months of 1998. " For these five months, " said

Brown, " this represents an annual death rate of 26.4 individuals. For the

month of January 1999, just one new death was reported, but reports in coming

months will deserve careful scrutiny. "

On August 4, 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of

protein derived from mammalian tissues in U.S. cattle feed. According to

Wood, Executive Director of FACT, this step was take because the Mad

Cow epidemic in Britain was caused by feeding protein products made from

infected cattle to healthy cattle. " The problem now for American consumers, "

said Wood, " is that FDA surveys reveal that not all feed mills are following

required procedures for keeping the banned protein products out of cattle

feed. "

Mad Cow Disease and nvCJD have occurred in a number of European countries,

but, so far, no cases have been identified in the U.S. FACT is urging the

FDA to rigorously enforce its ban on mammalian protein products in cattle

feed so that this potential public health crisis does not spread to this

country.

Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) is a non-profit organization that conducts

research on foodborne human diseases, such as salmonellosis, that originate

in farm animals. It advocates regulation of animal agriculture to improve

food safety through Executive Director Wood's membership on the FDA's

Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee and through other government and

industry forums.

For further information please contact Brown, , or

Wood and Meryl Camin Sosa, .

SOURCE Food Animal Concerns Trust

CO: Food Animal Concerns Trust

ST: Illinois

IN: AGR FOD ENV

SU:

04/08/99 12:33 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

To edit your profile, go to keyword aol://1722:NewsProfiles " >NewsProfiles

..

For all of today's news, go to keyword aol://1722:News " >News.