MAD COW DISEASE & CJD

Cattle feed may have been infected with BSE The diseased cow that sparked Canada's mad cow crisis in May 2003 was turned into feed and may have been mistakenly fed to other cows, CBC News has learned. Documents obtained through the Access to Information Act show the Canadian Food Inspection Agency had discovered cattle at a number of farms were eating feed intended only for pigs and chickens. That feed may have contained the rendered remains of the diseased cow. By law, cattle cannot be given feed made from rendered cows, precisely because it could spread bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The agency estimated that feed was sold to as many as 1,800 farms and launched an investigation. They visited 200 cattle operations and found several cases where cows were exposed to the feed. Three cattle farms were quarantined and 63 cattle destroyed. Inspectors also learned there was frequent cross-contamination of chicken and cattle feed, and in one case, the farmer admitted he routinely gave chicken feed to cows....
Rules banning BSE-risk materials from animal feed on the way: Minister Rules banning the use of cow brain, eyes and backbone in all animal feed will be published in the next few weeks, the federal agriculture minister said Friday. Andy Mitchell was responding to a CBC report that highlighted how cattle can sometimes be exposed to feed containing rendered material from other cattle, increasing the risk of spreading mad cow disease. "This is something that requires a period of time to put in place," Mitchell said of the new rules. "In July we announced that we were, in fact, going to make the changes . . . Over the next little while we will move toward implementation." It's been a long-standing practice to use rendered cattle material as protein in feed for chickens and pigs. When a cow is rendered now, all of the carcass is used, including the brain, eyes and spinal column....
Alaska farm group wants to import Canadian cattle An Alaska farm group is working on a proposal to try to get its state border opened to live Canadian cattle. "We have historically purchased our animals from Canada," said Jane Hamilton, executive director of the Alaska Farm Bureau. "Canada is our closest neighbor. There is a lot less trauma and stress in transporting an animal from Canada instead of going all the way to the Lower 48."....
Schwarzenegger Vetoes Meat Recall Disclosure Bill Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) vetoed a bill yesterday that would have let Californians know whether they’ve purchased contaminated meat or poultry. The bill, SB 1585, would have ended a secrecy agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and California that prevents the state from disclosing the names and locations of stores that receive shipments of recalled meat. Earlier this year, California was one of several states that received meat from the Washington State cow that tested positive for mad cow disease. But because California is one of 12 states that have signed a secrecy agreement with USDA, state health officials were prohibited from identifying stores or restaurants that may have received beef from the infected cow....
Japan, U.S., meet to discuss beef ban Japan announced Friday it will meet with the United States next week to discuss its ban on U.S. beef imports. The two-day session begins Monday in Colorado, the Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said. Japan banned beef imports from the United States after the discovery of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease last December. Leaders insisted U.S. beef cattle be tested for the disease in the same way cattle are tested in Japan, the Kyodo news service said....
Atlanta Hospital Warns Of Possible Exposure To Brain Disease Emory University Hospital in Atlanta is telling more than 500 patients they may have been exposed to a fatal brain disease, although the actual risk is "remote." The advisory comes after a brain surgery patient tested positive for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is similar to mad cow disease in animals. Officials say they're contacting 98 brain or spinal surgery patients who may have had contact with the surgical instruments that were used on the infected patient. They're also informing 418 patients who had other types of surgery....
Surgeons to get CJD-risk advice An NHS watchdog is to develop guidelines for surgeons to help minimise the risk of contracting CJD infections through operations. It will advise on surgical procedures and instruments used in operations involving tissues carrying a high or medium risk CJD or Variant CJD. The finished document is not expected until May 2006. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence will not examine the risks posed by blood transfusions, however. Last month, 4,000 patients in the UK were sent letters warning them they may have been exposed to vCJD through contaminated blood products....