MAD COW SPREADING IN USA FOR A DECADE

February 11, 2004

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" Mad cow disease probably has been established in North America for

more than a decade, and Americans should be prepared for the

discovery of more domestic cases as it spreads through herds.

A panel of international experts released these findings Wednesday to

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, also urging the Department

of Agriculture to toughen protections put into place following the

Dec. 23 discovery of an infected Holstein in Washington state.

Those protections, while helpful, are not sufficient to keep mad

cow disease from spreading further, or 'amplifying,' within the

North American herd, the researchers concluded. 'We need more, much

more,' said Ulrich Kihm, a Swiss scientist who led the advisory

panel. 'If we don't accept and implement measures -- strong

measures --then we have this amplification cycle going on and on.'

... Kihm also said he disagreed with a study from the Harvard

Center for Risk Analysis concluding that existing precautions, such

as the feed ban, had arrested the spread of mad cow and eventually

would eradicate the disease. 'The disease will spread, spread all

over the place' if no additional steps are taken, he said. "

SOURCE: Oregonian, February 5, 2004

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