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STATE REASSURES NEW YORKERS OF EFFORTS TO PREVENT BSE
State Agriculture Commissioner Nathan L. Rudgers and State Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr. P.H. today reassured New Yorkers of the State's efforts to prevent the introduction of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or commonly called “mad cow disease”) in New York State. Their announcement follows U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman's announcement of the first presumptive positive case of BSE in Washington State in the United States.
Commissioner Rudgers said, “Over the last decade, the United States has learned from the United Kingdom's experience with mad cow disease and has prepared appropriate surveillance, detection and response protocols. New York State, in particular, has done an effective job in developing innovative programs to enhance our ability to prevent BSE in New York State. The New York State Cattle Health Assurance Program encourages our farmers to follow appropriate safeguards and use innovative identification technologies to track the movement and life history of cattle produced in the State. We will continue to work diligently to further protect our local food supply.”
Commissioner Novello said, “New York State has a disease surveillance system for BSE that is the very best and is considered a model for other states. It is critical to again stress that there are no known cases of mad cow disease in humans in New York State, and no cases that have been acquired in the entire nation. Nevertheless, we will continue to work closely with Commissioner Rudgers and the federal government to better ensure our families remain safe from this, and all, disease.”
Yesterday, Secretary Veneman announced the country's first presumptive positive case of BSE in an adult Holstein cow in the state of Washington. Tissue samples have been sent to a lab in England for final confirmation. The results of this test will be known in 3-5 days. The State Department of Agriculture and Markets is currently reviewing records to locate any possible connections with the Washington case.
For the past several years, the State Department of Agriculture and Markets has taken precautions to prevent the introduction of BSE in New York State. Specifically, the State has done the following.
· The Department cooperates with the USDA in ensuring that cattle arriving at slaughter plants are properly inspected and, if symptoms warrant, samples are taken for BSE testing. Last year, 518 carcasses were tested for BSE in New York State.
· Department veterinarians provide up-to-date information and assist with identification of potential BSE cases for the State's veterinary practitioners, veterinary laboratory diagnosticians, and farmers.
· The Department routinely inspects all of the State's feed mills and distributors for compliance with the FDA ruminant feed ban. Since the ban, all of the State's 400 feed establishments are in compliance with the BSE rule.
· The Department provides educational and guidance materials developed by the FDA to all feed manufacturers, distributors and dairy producers in New York State on the FDA ruminant feed ban that was put in place in 1997.
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) conducts surveillance for Mad Cow disease in humans (known as “New Variant” Creutzfeld Jacob Disease) through its Alzheimers and Other Dementias Registry. NYSDOH also works with the Centers for Disease Control and the Prion Research Center at Case Western University to monitor and study the disease. Another human version of the disease, known as "Classic" CJD, is not known to be associated with any food product and appears to have a genetic link. It occurs at a rate of 1 case per 1,000,000 individuals.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease is a rare and fatal neurological disease first described in the 1920's. It is characterized by the rapid progression of dementia and motor impairment, and can cause speech and visual disturbances. “Classic” CJD affects from 12 to 26 New Yorkers each year. There have been no cases of “New Variant” CJD in New York State and no cases of the disease have been acquired in the entire United States.
Specifically, NYSDOH's Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease surveillance activities include:
· Rapid ascertainment and tracking of potential cases of CJD
· Coordinating case investigations with local Health Departments
· Educating primary care physicians, pathologists, neurologists and hospital infection control staff in case identification and state-of-the-art diagnostic testing
· Monitoring through its Blood and Tissue Resources Program new data and developments in the areas of blood and tissue risks so that appropriate preventive steps can be taken.
Mad cow disease in animals was first diagnosed in Great Britain in 1986, and until the present presumptive case, no cases have been found in the U.S. To prevent the entry of BSE into the U.S., importation of live animals and animal products from countries with known cases of the BSE has been prohibited since 1989. In Great Britain, the disease is thought to have been spread by feeding cattle rendered protein products from sheep infected with scrapie, a similar disease. In response, the Food and Drug Administration banned the feeding of all ruminant byproducts to ruminants in 1997.
The agent that causes BSE is found only in ruminant animals and only in certain tissues such as the spinal cord and brain. These tissues are typically removed at slaughter and do not enter the food chain. There has been no evidence of the infective agent being detected in milk or muscle tissue. According to the USDA, all cattle are inspected before being slaughtered, and any cattle that show signs of neurological disorders are tested for BSE. BSE is rarely found in animals less than 30 months of age. The majority of the beef consumed in the U.S. is from cattle that are younger than 24 months.
New York State has 680,000 dairy cows and 80,000 beef. New York State slaughters 51,600 cattle and 169,200 calves annually.
For up-to-date information on the suspected mad cow case in Washington, please visit USDA's website at www.usda.gov .
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