US Admits: Mad Sheep, Deer, Elk

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US Admits To Mad Sheep, Deer, And Elk But Claims Nary A Case Of Mad Cow...

By Lucrezia Cuen 1-17-01

www.abcnews.com

LONDON - The United States already has mad sheep, mad deer, and mad elk, but

the government has issued assurances there is no mad cow disease not yet.

However, the spread of mad cow disease across Europe is already having a

damaging effect on the U.S. blood supply and the worst may be yet to come.

Three flocks of " mad sheep " were diagnosed in Vermont six months ago. A

fatal

" mad deer " disease is occurring at epidemic levels in deer and elk across

the

Western states. Both of these diseases are closely related to mad cow

disease, or BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) a chronic wasting disease

spreading across Europe and linked to a deadly human variation called CJD.

The U.S. government has banned beef from BSE-infected countries, ordered

vaccines from infected countries replaced and has placed bans on certain

blood donations.

Efforts to protect America's blood supply from mad cow contamination by

donors who may have eaten contaminated beef have already reduced the blood

supply by 2.2 percent, the Red Cross reports. That translates to

approximately 300,000 units or pints of blood, which is more than 120,000

transfusions.

New proposals could raise that percentage exponentially.

Blood Ban

Two years ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered a ban on

British

blood in an effort to protect against BSE, CJD and another human

counterpart,

vCJD (variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease).

Anyone who has lived in the United Kingdom or Ireland for more than six

months between January 1980 and December 1996 is prohibited for life from

donating blood.

The six-month benchmark was chosen when studies showed banning everyone who

visited Britain during that period would devastate the American blood

supply.

Expanding the Ban Now, with reports of BSE and vCJD spreading to Germany,

France and beyond, the bans on blood donations may be extended to include

people who have spent time in other European countries.

" Our bottom line is safety, " says an FDA spokeswoman who asked not to be

identified. " These are precautionary measures. The FDA will review residence

of blood donors in France, and other BSE countries including Germany. We are

concerned both about blood safety and maintaining an adequate supply of

blood

products. "

This means if you've traveled or studied in Europe or if you are a member of

the military stationed in Europe, your blood may be suspect.

U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Dave Lee is one of hundreds of thousands of U.S.

military

personnel and their families already banned from donating blood.

" I feel disappointed that I can no longer help anybody, " says Lee, whose

type

O-negative blood once made him a universal donor. " But I'm also relieved the

powers that be are taking measures to protect the blood supply. "

In recent weeks Germany has confirmed its first cases of BSE. New cases have

been reported in France and the Netherlands. The disease has also been found

in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Portugal, Spain and

Switzerland.

Risk for Hunters

In addition to travelers and military personnel the FDA is also considering

banning blood from tens of thousand of hunters, including those who took

part

in the fall 2000 hunting season.

Mad deer disease, also called chronic wasting disease or CWD, has hit a full

15 percent of free-ranging deer and elk in northeastern Colorado and

southeastern Wyoming.

Three young hunters exposed to mad deer disease died in the past three years

of CJD. Although medical experts from the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention found no evidence of a link, CDC epidemiologist Dr. Ermias Belay

says, " This does not totally exonerate CWD from being a human pathogen. "

Cruel and Miserable Death

The government concerns about BSE and CJD are well founded. The new variant

CJD has no cure and no reliable test. People can be suspected of carrying

the

disease, but diagnosis is only confirmed in post mortem examinations of the

brain.

Although leading scientists believe it is carried in the blood, currently

there is no blood test that will expose it.

The wasting disease attacks the brain, slowly eating it away. Early symptoms

include depression and unusual sensory sensations like a sticky feeling to

the skin.

Victims, young and old, fall ill and over a matter of months, slowly lose

their sight, their hearing, and their minds. By the time of death they can't

move or speak. Since October 1996, variant CJD has killed more than 90

people

in Europe, more each successive year.

Due to the growing concern, the FDA is meeting on Jan. 18 to consider

expanding the blood ban from people who have lived in Europe.Canada has

already taken emergency action banning blood donations from people who lived

in France more than six months between 1980 and 1996.