-Caveat Lector- BSE? - JAPAN (02) ***************** A ProMED-mail post ProMED-mail, a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases <http://www.isid.org> Date: 13 Sep 2001 From: Pablo Nart <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Source Japan Today, 13 Sep 2001, [edited] <http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&id=76032> The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries ordered a nationwide investigation into the extent of mad cow disease (BSE, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) infections following the suspected case at a Chiba Prefecture farm. The ministry said the emergency on-the-spot probe will cover a total of about 4.5 million cows - about 1.7 million dairy cows and roughly 2.8 million beef cattle - at some 140 000 farms. The probe is to check whether there are irregularities suspected of being linked to BSE. The ministry said it instructed all of Japan's 47 prefectural governments to conduct probes at farms to see whether cows have shown signs of the disease, such as difficulty standing. The probe will also look into whether farmers fed their cows "meat and bone meal (MBM)," a protein feed made from the crushed internal organs, skin and bones of cows. ***** [2] Date: 13 Sep 2001 From: Pablo Nart <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Source: Japan Today, 12 Sep 2001, [edited] <http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&id=75617> The northern Hokkaido Island, Japan's top cattle-breeding area, would check all 1.27 million cows in its region an official in the local government's dairy farming and livestock division said. The ministry said the infected cow had been born in Hokkaido 5 years ago and had been moved to the Chiba area near Tokyo 3 years ago It said the remains of the slaughtered cow would be sent to Britain for further tests to confirm the disease. The government played down the chance of a serious outbreak of the kind that destroyed confidence in British beef in the mid-1990s, but said farmers would be required to report any suspected cases of the disease, formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Officials and experts said the most likely cause was infected imports of meat-and-bone meal (MBM) from Europe - the same way the disease spread from Britain to the rest of Europe. Japan banned all cattle-related products from the European Union earlier this year, but had previously imported animal feedstuff, including MBM, from Britain and other EU nations. Last year, it imported about 55 000 tons of meat-and-bone meal from Denmark and Italy, which have since suffered outbreaks, although Japanese officials said these products would have been heat-treated before being used. [Heat treatment will not inactivate the prion believed to be the agent responsible for BSE. - Mod.TG] Takebe said an investigation had begun into how the cow was infected, adding an examination would be made of the MBM used at the cow's farm in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo. Given that the disease has an incubation period of between 2 and 8 years, the 5-year-old cow could have been infected some time ago, possibly by British MBM imports, which Japan only banned in 1996. The Health Ministry has banned sales of meat products from the farm, and said that could be extended to other areas. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
