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This is a revised version of an FDA Statement originally issued May 20, 2003.
Note: On Dec. 23, 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that a cow in Washington state had tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease). As a result, information on this Web page stating that no BSE cases had been found in the United States is now incorrect. However, because other information on this page continues to have value, the page will remain available for viewing.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Media Inquiries: 301-827-6242 |
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has learned from the government of Canada that the brain of an eight-year old cow in a remote area of Alberta has tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as “Mad Cow Disease”).
According to Canadian officials, meat from the cow did not enter the food supply. The animal had been on the farm in Alberta for three years. Although BSE has not been shown to be transmitted among cows in a herd, as a precaution the herd in Alberta is being destroyed.
FDA is working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, other U.S. agencies, and the appropriate Canadian officials to gather additional information about this case, including previous owners of the cow and its location, as well as records concerning animal feed the cow ate.
To date, no case of BSE has ever been found in the U.S., despite years of intensive testing for the disease.
After the original outbreak of BSE in the United Kingdom in 1986, the U.S.
government established a comprehensive set of measures designed to protect Americans
and U.S. cattle from BSE. These included prohibiting the importation of live
cattle and other ruminant animals, beef and other meat derived from ruminants,
and products containing processed animal protein from countries identified as
BSE restricted.
Today's announcement means that Canada will be added to the list of BSE restricted
countries. As a result, live cattle and other ruminant animals, beef and other
meat derived from ruminants, and products containing processed animal protein
will no longer be allowed to be exported from Canada to the U.S.
Milk and milk products, gelatin for human consumption and cosmetic use produced from bones if certain precautions are taken, and eggs and egg products, poultry meat, and pork for human consumption are still permitted to enter.
Possible further actions will depend on the findings from the current investigation of this one confirmed case of BSE in Alberta.
Since 1997, America has been protected from BSE by the prohibition against using most mammalian protein to manufacture animal feeds given to “ruminant” animals such as cows, sheep, and goats. The BSE epidemic in the U.K. is thought to have spread through the addition of such mammalian protein to the feed consumed by cows. The regulation is designed to prevent the spread of BSE in the U.S. if a case ever occurred here.
In 2001, the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis concluded that the FDA’s “feed rule” provided the nation’s major defense against BSE.
BSE is one of several diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. These diseases are characterized by a long incubation period, a relatively short clinical course of neurological signs, and 100 percent mortality.
FDA will provide updates on this case of BSE in Alberta as additional information becomes available.
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