'Mad Cow' Case Prompts New Measures

The discovery of a case of "mad cow" disease in the United States in December prompted a series of new measures designed to ensure the safety of U.S. beef consumed domestically and exported abroad.

Evidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was detected in a dairy cow in the state of Washington on Dec. 22. As a precautionary measure, authorities ordered a quarantine of the farm from which the Holstein cow had come, in the town of Mabton. Tissue samples from the animal were sent for confirmation to the world reference laboratory for BSE in England. Two of its calves were located and placed under quarantine, as were dozens of other cattle that had been imported from Alberta, Canada, at the same time as the infected cow. A third calf was traced to another Washington farm, but could not be singled out, prompting officials to order the sacrifice of all 450 calves on the farm.

As a result of the new case—the first in the United States—the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced new safety measures, including banning the slaughter of "downer" animals for human consumption (the cow in question had arrived at the slaughterhouse unable to walk, apparently due to injuries sustained while calving). The USDA also announced that:

• Meat from animals tested for BSE will not be cleared for distribution until the results of the tests are available.
• Animal parts including the skull, brain, eyes, vertebral column and spinal cord from adult cattle will be prohibited from entering the human food supply.
• Air-injection stunning, a humane slaughtering practice that can dislocate portions of the brain, will no longer be permitted.
• Mechanically separated meat will not be permitted for human consumption.

The day the BSE case was confirmed, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) assured its Member States that the safety of beef in the Americas remained unchanged.

"We have the necessary tools to control the situation and to eliminate any possibility of risk," said Albino Belotto, chief of PAHO's Veterinary Public Health Unit.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman also insisted that U.S. beef remained safe for consumption and said the risk of contracting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the human form of BSE, was miniscule.

Despite the assurances, more than 20 countries banned imports of U.S. beef, threatening $3.2 billion in annual exports.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, past risk analyses have determined that the region is free of both BSE and vCJD. PAHO is offering assistance to Member States that wish to undertake new risk analyses, given the new developments.

South America has an estimated 290 million head of cattle, representing about 10 percent of the world's cattle population. The English-speaking Caribbean, on the other hand, is a net importer of beef and other animal products. For the region as a whole, according to Belotto, it remains critical to be on the alert to detect any possible emergence of the disease.