February 25, 2004

Italy Reports Third Mad Cow Case in 2004

Italy has confirmed a third case of mad cow disease this year. The infected cow was found in the northern region of Piedmont, local media said.

The eight year-old cow found positive in an initial test was from a herd near Turin. It will undergo a confirmation test at the Italian mad cow center in Turin, the report said.

A local animal health official stressed the cow had shown no symptoms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) before being slaughtered.

Italy has detected 118 cases of mad cow disease and has carried out more than one million tests for BSE since Italy launched a BSE testing program in compliance with European Union regulations in January 2001. All animals over 24 months old undergo such testing at slaughter houses in Italy.