November 19, 2003

9th BSE Case Confirmed in Poland

A new case of mad cow disease was confirmed, bringing the total number of cattle infected with the disease in Poland to nine, Poland's chief veterinarian Piotr Kolodziej said on Monday.

The seven-year-old animal was tested positive for the disease on November 13 in the central Mazowsze province, said the chief veterinarian in a bulletin.

The report also stated that other cattle that were kept with the infected had been slaughtered as part of preventive measures, so were all the 18-month-old cows on the farm.

Mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is an infectious disease, which is believed to spread by cattle feed made from recycling meat and bones from infected animals.

Polish agricultural authorities are taking measures to test all cattle over 30 months old for the BSE across the country.

The first case of the brain-wasting disease in Poland was found in May 2002.