October 8, 2004

New Case Of Mad Cow Disease Detected In Italy

Italy reported the latest case of mad cow disease on Tuesday, bringing the number of cases detected in the country to 123 since testing began in 2001, the Health Ministry said.

Six cases have been confirmed this year, out of nearly 580,000 tests. The European Union requires tests on cattle older than 30 months destined for slaughter.

Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, eats holes in the brains of cattle and is incurable.