Song in my head: Tuesday afternoon....I'm just beginning to see...now I'm on my way......Moody Blues

MAD COW MOOS

Experts seek to ID mad cow-like disease

August 19, 2004 Associated Press SEATTLE -- Top experts in mad cow-like diseases are, according to this story, trying to identify a strain discovered in a patient at Harborview Medical Center this summer.It was clearly not the human form of mad cow, nor does it appear to have been Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a closely related condition, said Dr. Pierluigi Gambetti, director of the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, adding, "We really are puzzled at this time. This is unusual." (story via FSNet listserv, by subscription)

August 20, 2004 Associated Press.TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Democratic Party of Japan was cited as saying Friday it will send a team of lawmakers to the United States on Sunday on an eight-day visit to check how tests on mad cow disease are conducted there.The team, led by DPJ shadow farm minister Masahiko Yamada, will visit Washington, Seattle and San Francisco.....(story via FSNET listserv)

Wash. woman dies of mad cow-type disease

August 20, 2004Associated PressSEATTLE -- Washington state health epidemiologist Dr. Jo Hofmann was cited as saying a woman being treated for a brain-wasting condition believed to be related to mad cow disease has died, and that brain tissue from the woman will be sent to the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, adding, "There will be brain tissue obtained from multiple parts of the brain that will definitely provide more information."(story via FSNet listserv)

Japanese meat industry and consumers divided on BSE testing policy

August 20, 2004 Japanese consumers and meat industry members remain divided on the effectiveness of current safety measures for BSE ? particularly Japan's policy that all cattle entering its food supply be tested for the disease. Japanese consumers, distributors, restaurant operators and bureaucrats all agreed to disagree on that matter at a spirited exchange hosted by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health in Tokyo on Wednesday. (snipped from FSNet Listserv)

Here are some more links to the mad cow death story. Here, here, and here.

The USDA has a new testing protocol for announcing false positives, here.

Europe has raised our risk level for BSE, here.

Creekstone wants to test 100% of their cattle and the USDA won't let them, here.

Would you like your McBSE with fries?