- Note - Har!! This is a whopper (pardon the Burger King
pun). Let's see the FDA present some SCIENCE that shows milk from an infected
Mad Cow does NOT contain prions. So far, we know of no published results
from the reported UK tests on infected dairy cows. We have read such tests
were done at the height of the UK disaster...but the results were never
released. Since mad cow prions are in the BLOOD of infected animals and
since blood is the source of MILK production, we'll err on the side of
caution and suggest this FDA claim
- is wishful thinking - and based on ZERO science - at
- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Milk
from the Washington state dairy cow infected with mad cow disease is safe
to drink, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday.
- Mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy
(BSE), is a brain-wasting disease in cattle. A human form of BSE has been
linked to the deaths of more than 130 people, mostly in Britain.
- The infected cow was slaughtered on Dec. 9 and a tissue
sample was diagnosed with BSE on Tuesday, two weeks later.
- BSE is transmitted through contaminated brain, spinal
cord or nervous system tissue.
- "The scientific data indicate that milk from BSE
cows does not transmit BSE," the FDA said in a statement. "National
and international public health organizations have consistently stated
that milk and milk products are safe regardless of whether the country
producing them has had cases of BSE."
- The FDA said it sent "several teams" of investigators
to Washington state to help the U.S. Agriculture Department trace the animal's
history and source of feed.
- "Although the investigation is now in its earliest
stages, so far there is only one identified probable case of BSE,"
the FDA said. "At this point there is no reason to believe that more
than one cow is involved, especially given USDA's stepped-up sampling of
animals most susceptible to BSE."
- The FDA, which regulates livestock drugs and feed, in
1997 banned the use of cattle remains to be ground up into protein supplements
for other cattle. However, cattle remains can still be fed to poultry and
- Investigators are focusing on the possibility of contaminated
animal feed as a way that the Washington state cow may have been infected.
- Copyright © 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited
without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable
for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance