February 5, 2004

More Mad Cow Cases Possible In America

Panelists at an international bovine spongiform encephalopathy panel convened by the U.S. Department of Agriculture have said that it is possible that more mad cow cases will be found in North America, although it would be impossible to predict the frequency of it.

William Hueston, the sole U.S. member panel said Wednesday he expects about two to three more cases of mad-cow disease, in North America following the two cases reported in the U.S. and Canada last year.

Ulrich Kihm, a Swiss member of the international panel stressed it is impossible to predict how many more will be found.

Ron DeHaven, the USDA's chief veterinarian, downplayed the possibility of additional BSE cases in North America and said that even if they occurred there would no risk to human health because of new safety regulations enacted by the USDA.

DeHaven said that he couldn't "rule out the possibility that there will be additional (BSE) cases" in the U.S., but he stressed, "to predict any prevalence frequency that we might be finding is way too premature."

Last year, two cattle in the U.S. and Canada were found with BSE, also known as mad-cow disease.

Kihm had been quoted as saying that the U.S. could begin to see one case of mad-cow disease each month, based on the experience of other nations.