Has anyone heard anything about mad cow disease in Canada?

[P_RN]

A couple of months ago the Red Cross sent me away because I had spent time in the UK. I just heard on the radio that MCD's been found in Canada. Is this true?

[gwenith, BSN, RN]

I haven't read through this thread and I only dropped in to let enyone who is interested know that the lastes new Scientist has a very good article not only about mad cow disease in Canada but it evaluates and discussed the risk to the USA.

[HoJo]

Do you have a url gwenith?

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

The URL for The New Scientist's collection of BSE articles is:

http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/bse/bse.jsp

There has been a great deal of research into the origins and transmission of BSE by scientists the world over. The main mode of transmission is though the ingestion of bovine nervous tissue. Britons developed the human form of BSE, variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease because their sausages contained offal such as brain and spinal cord tissue in addition to scraps from other parts of the cow. In North America, nobody eats offal, it's too disgusting to consider. Prions are not found in muscle tissue or organ meats such as liver, therefore the risk of developing vCJD from eating Alberta beef is non-existent.

Vertical transmission from mother to offspring is theoretically possible.

However, it has also been learned that BSE may also occur as a spontaneous random mutation, which it appears may be the source of Canada's lone mad cow case. Over 2000 cattle thought to have a connection, however tenuous, with the sentinel case have been slaughtered and their brains examined. Thus far, more than 1400 have been negative, with results on the remaining 600 expected to be available in the next day or two. In light of the possibility of spontaneous mutation and the lengthy incubation period, to state categorically that the US is BSE-free is premature and potentially untrue.

In recent years there has been a large increase in chronic wasting disease in other ungulates, especially elk, but also in deer and the occasional moose, all across North America. CWD is similar to BSE in its effects on the brains of infected animals. The single mad cow in Canada was not priority tested for BSE because it was thought to have pneumonia. The interval between slaughter and testing relates to the high numbers of elk and deer brains being tested, not some sinister plot on the part of Canadian cattle producers to endanger the livelihoods of thousands of cattle ranchers all over North America.

The US ban on importing Canadian beef was a knee-jerk reaction. If there truly was an epidemic of BSE in Canada, it should have turned up in the US by now.

The North American Free Trade Agreement should be repealed. It was written in such a way that the only party to benefit in any and all ways is the United States. It was designed to allow the US access to the best that Canada and Mexico have to offer, without requiring any similar exchange in return. Our natural resources are being plundered by the US and then sold back to us as manufactured goods at highly inflated prices, with taxes and duties slapped on them at every point along the way. One merely needs look at the trade deficits that exist to see this is true. The North American economy is in the toilet and alarmist, protectionist, isolationist Americans are jumping on the handle.

Well, off to grill me up some Alberta beef for lunch!

[HoJo]

Well first of all I went to the url you posted however I could not find the info Gwenith posted

I haven't read through this thread and I only dropped in to let enyone who is interested know that the lastes new Scientist has a very good article not only about mad cow disease in Canada but it evaluates and discussed the risk to the USA.

Anyways onto to the good stuff, yes its possible the U.S. could have BSE.

. In light of the possibility of spontaneous mutation and the lengthy incubation period, to state categorically that the US is BSE-free is premature and potentially untrue.

However NO group has EVER discovered BSE in any cattle herd in the U.S. thats a fact that everyone seems to fail to mention. Sure we could have it, but then why has it not been discovered. Simple because as we already know BSE can take anywhere from 3-10 yrs to manifest signs and symptoms. And we also know that for 2yrs cattle in both Canada and U.S. could possibly have been exposed to bone/blood meal as I already pointed out in an earlier post.

The use of such treated grain has been banned in Canada and the United States since 1997, but there are still many animals alive that were reared on such treated grain - and some might only now be succumbing to a disease they actually contracted in the mid-1990s.

However the U.S. has not discovered any BSE in their herds at any point in its existence as a nation. The FDA is one of the most scrutinizing divisions of the U.S. government and I can assure you 100% that if a case were to ever come up then the whole nation/world would know about it. Unlike Canada who slaughtered the cow we are talking about on Jan 31, 2003. So the Canadian officials leave a cow head lying in a refridgerator for 4 months? Hmm, boy that sure doesn't sound fishy now does it? Why would they leave a dead cow's head in a refridgerator they suspected of pneumonia for god's sake?

Needless to say Canada has a lot of questions to answer. Sure this may be a random mutation but the cow was already in poor shape, they thought it had pneumonia.

Regardless though I doubt the U.S. will reopen its borders to Candadian cattle anytime soon. U.S. already requires a 7 yr BSE free period on all other countries so why should Canada be any different? Plus considering this cow was born in '95 and the case pops up in '03 they are right on the $$. And that is why the U.S. has no cases of BSE discovered, its called strict regulations and Canada should be no different.

I'll move onto to NAFTA later on don't have time right now, lunch break.

[HoJo]

Update heard on the way into work tonight that my states senators (including Daschle) and congressman will not vote to reopen the borders until Country of Origin Labeling is in place.

[Edward,IL]

Thank you for a very interesting thread regarding an important public health issue.

A similar situation occurs within the beef/pork/sheep/dairy industries regarding Johnes disease in farm animals.

It is known that Jonnes diseaes is caused by a bacteria: mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP). This microorganism is thought to cause Crohn's disease in humans. It is present in our meat supply, milk in the US. The UK and other countries that have public health system have taken steps to protect their food supply. The German health minstry has issued a warning to HIV-pos people to avoid meat/milk to prevent Crohn's disease in this already immuncompromised population. An organization called PARA

(visit their web site) is encouraging research to validate the ink between MAP and Crohn's disease.

Bottom line Crohn's disease can be easily treated with two common antibiotics currently available, Rifabutin and Biaxin (Clarithromycin) taken for several years.

If I had kids these days, I'd be really careful about what I'd let them eat.

Just my thoughts, Edward, IL

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

Please provide a verifiable authoritative link for that information, Edward.

To make a blanket statement like that, somewhat calls for it.

[I_Love_Donuts]

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

Skip that - I will look it up on the web.