Latest news with #madcowdisease
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
What we know about the mad cow disease case on Essex farm
A single case of atypical BSE – commonly known as mad cow disease – has been confirmed on a farm in Essex. The cow was humanely culled after showing symptoms and subsequently tested positive. Officials say there is no risk to public health or food safety, as the animal was not intended for the food chain. Atypical BSE is a rare, non-contagious disease that occurs spontaneously in cattle, unlike classical BSE, which is linked to contaminated feed. This case demonstrates the effectiveness of the UK's surveillance system for detecting and containing such diseases.
The Sun
20-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Mad cow disease confirmed on UK farm as animal shows symptoms of 1990s outbreak that led to culling millions of cattle
A CASE of "mad cow disease" has been discovered on a farm in Essex, officials say. The cow showed symptoms of the deadly disease - formally known as Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) - that ravaged Britain's cattle herds in the 1990s and led to millions of cattle being slaughtered. 3 3 An atypical case of BSE was confirmed when the cow was humanely culled and tested for disease, according to the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Experts say there is no risk to public health or food safety as the animal was not destined to enter the food chain. Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: "A single case of atypical BSE has been confirmed on a farm in Essex. "The animal died on farm and was tested as part of our strict routine controls and surveillance regime. "Atypical BSE is distinct from classical BSE and is a spontaneously and sporadically occurring, non-contagious disease which is believed to occur at a very low level in all cattle populations. "This is proof that our surveillance system for detecting and containing this type of disease is working." Unlike the atypical variant, scientists say that classical BSE is spread through contaminated feed. Over 184,000 cows in the UK died from BSE and over 4.4 million cattle were slaughtered to stop the disease from spreading. It also caused cases of the fatal variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans. Professor Neil Mabbott, Personal Chair in Immunopathology, explained: 'Very occasionally, rare atypical cases of BSE are sporadically detected in cattle, but these are considered non-contagious and are not linked to an infectious origin. "Four cases of atypical BSE have been detected in the UK in the past ten years. "This current case was detected through the routine surveillance and testing brain tissues from fallen stock animals." Mabbott added that strict control measures to prevent the spread of BSE in cattle and animals have been effective so far as there have been no cases of the human variant vCJD since the 1990s. Dr James Cooper, deputy director of food policy at the Food Standards Agency. said: "There is no food safety risk. "There are strict controls in place to protect consumers from the risk of BSE, including controls on animal feed, and removal of the parts of cattle most likely to carry BSE infectivity. "Consumers can be reassured that these important protection measures remain in place and that Food Standards Agency official veterinarians and meat hygiene inspectors working in all abattoirs in England will continue to ensure that the safety of consumers remains the top priority." It comes as a case of 'mad cow disease' was reported on a farm in Somerset in September 2021. Prior to that, a case of BSE was reported at a farm in Aberdeenshire in October 2018 - the first case of the disease in three years in the UK and the first confirmed in Scotland since 2008. Previously, a dead cow with the disease was discovered in Wales in 2015. What happened during the BSE epidemic? BRITAIN was gripped by BSE in the early 1990s, when the disease infected more than 30,000 cows a year. It was first discovered in 1984 in Sussex. And it was deeply dangerous to both cattle and people. The first cow to be diagnosed, known as cow 133, had an arched back, had lost weight, suffered tremors and lost its coordination. It died within six weeks. Officials discovered that feeding cows 'cannibal' feed, which contained protein from other cows or sheep, was the cause of BSE. This practice was banned in 1989. However, by 1992 and 1993, thousands of cows were infected. In those two years alone, 72,370 cows in the UK were found to have 'mad cow disease'. In August 1996, a British coroner determined that Peter Hall, a 20-year-old vegetarian who died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, contracted the illness from eating beef burgers as a child. The verdict was the first to legally link a human death to 'mad cow disease'. During the crisis, beef exports from Britain were banned by the European Union. The ban was not lifted until 2006. Cows over 30 months old were required to be killed under the 'Over Thirty Months Scheme' to stop the spread of the disease. Over 4.4 million cattle were slaughtered as prevention. 3
Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
‘Mad cow disease' detected on farm
A case of 'mad cow disease' has been found on a farm in Essex in the first case to be found in the UK this year. The animal was killed and tested by officials at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) who confirmed the cow had an atypical case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). This case is the first to be identified in the UK since December 2024 when another atypical BSE case was found in Scotland. It is the fourth such case in the last decade. An outbreak of BSE, also known as 'mad cow disease', led to millions of cattle being culled in the UK in the 1990s to prevent spread of the pathogen. Humans that eat meat from infected animals can contract the fatal brain condition Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD) and 178 people in the UK died of the condition after eating tainted beef during the outbreak. Poses no risk This latest case was found to be 'atypical BSE' and is not contagious and poses no risk to other animals or the food chain, officials said. This version of the disease occurs naturally and spontaneously on occasion and is not linked to contaminated feed, as opposed to the other form of BSE. 'A single case of atypical BSE has been confirmed on a farm in Essex. The animal died on farm and was tested as part of our strict routine controls and surveillance regime,' said Christine Middlemiss, the UK's Chief Veterinary Officer. 'Atypical BSE is distinct from classical BSE and is a spontaneously and sporadically occurring, non-contagious disease which is believed to occur at a very low level in all cattle populations. 'This is proof that our surveillance system for detecting and containing this type of disease is working.' 'Consumers can be reassured' Food safety experts insist there is no threat to food in the UK from the case. 'There is no food safety risk,' said Dr James Cooper, deputy director of food policy at the Food Standards Agency (FSA). 'There are strict controls in place to protect consumers from the risk of BSE, including controls on animal feed, and removal of the parts of cattle most likely to carry BSE infectivity. 'Consumers can be reassured that these important protection measures remain in place and that Food Standards Agency official veterinarians and meat hygiene inspectors working in all abattoirs in England will continue to ensure that the safety of consumers remains the top priority.'
The Independent
20-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Mad cow disease confirmed on Essex farm
A single case of BSE – commonly known as mad cow disease – has been confirmed on a farm in Essex, officials have said. The case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was uncovered after the animal showed some symptoms, and was humanely culled and tested for the disease, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) said. The government has said there was no risk to public health or food safety as the cow was not destined to enter the food chain. Atypical BSE is a non-contagious disease in cows which is different from "classical" BSE, which is linked to contaminated feed. It is a naturally occurring and non-contagious brain disease and occurs spontaneously, but rarely, in cattle, officials said. Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: "A single case of atypical BSE has been confirmed on a farm in Essex. The animal died on farm and was tested as part of our strict routine controls and surveillance regime. "Atypical BSE is distinct from classical BSE and is a spontaneously and sporadically occurring, non-contagious disease which is believed to occur at a very low level in all cattle populations. 'This is proof that our surveillance system for detecting and containing this type of disease is working." Dr James Cooper, deputy director of food policy at the Food Standards Agency said: 'There is no food safety risk. 'There are strict controls in place to protect consumers from the risk of BSE, including controls on animal feed, and removal of the parts of cattle most likely to carry BSE infectivity. 'Consumers can be reassured that these important protection measures remain in place and that Food Standards Agency official veterinarians and meat hygiene inspectors working in all abattoirs in England will continue to ensure that the safety of consumers remains the top priority.' In December last year, a case of mad cow disease was confirmed on a farm in Scotland. It follows the crisis of 1986 when 180,000 cattle were infected and 4.4 million slaughtered in order to eradicate it.
The Independent
20-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Single case of atypical BSE found in cow in Essex
A single case of atypical BSE has been found in a cow on a farm in Essex, officials have said. The case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was uncovered after the animal showed some symptoms, and was humanely culled and tested for the disease, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) said. Officials said there was no risk to public health or food safety and the animal was not destined to enter the food chain. Atypical BSE is a naturally occurring and non-contagious brain disease and occurs spontaneously, but rarely, in cattle, officials said. It is distinct from classical BSE which is linked to contaminated animal feed, and was responsible for the UK's 'mad cow disease' outbreak in the 1980s and 1990s that led to the culling of millions of cattle and caused fatal variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD) in people. Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: 'A single case of atypical BSE has been confirmed on a farm in Essex. 'The animal died on farm and was tested as part of our strict routine controls and surveillance regime. 'Atypical BSE is distinct from classical BSE and is a spontaneously and sporadically occurring, non-contagious disease which is believed to occur at a very low level in all cattle populations. 'This is proof that our surveillance system for detecting and containing this type of disease is working.' Dr James Cooper, deputy director of food policy at the Food Standards Agency said: 'There is no food safety risk. 'There are strict controls in place to protect consumers from the risk of BSE, including controls on animal feed, and removal of the parts of cattle most likely to carry BSE infectivity. ' Consumers can be reassured that these important protection measures remain in place and that Food Standards Agency official veterinarians and meat hygiene inspectors working in all abattoirs in England will continue to ensure that the safety of consumers remains the top priority.'
