Mad cow disease found in Scotland
A farm in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, has been locked down after a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has been discovered, informs the Scottish government.
This is the first incidence of BSE in Scotland since 2009 when a massive outbreak devastated the farming industry. Fergus Ewing, Scotland's rural economy secretary, said the government has set up a precautionary ban on the movement of animals from the farm, which is "standard procedure.", informs CNN.
All animals over four years of age that die on a farm are routinely tested for BSE under the Scottish government's surveillance system. The animals suspected of carrying the virus will be destroyed in line with European Union requirements.
Sheila Voas, Scotland's chief veterinary officer, said: "While it is too early to tell where the disease came from, in this case, its detection is proof that our surveillance system is doing its job. We are working closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency to answer this question, and in the meantime, I would urge any farmer who has concerns to immediately seek veterinary advice."
The disease was first detected in British cattle in 1986 and between then and 2001, 180,000 cattle were affected. The outbreak reached its peak in January 1993, when almost 1,000 new cases were reported every week. A global ban on the export of British beef was imposed in March 1996 and this remained in place until the EU lifted it 10 years later.
BSE attacks a cow's central nervous system and is usually fatal. Before that, the animal becomes aggressive and loses its coordination. When transmitted to humans, BSE can trigger a fatal, brain-wasting disease in humans called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).
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