The Washington Post (US Abstracts); May 29, 2001

The race is on to develop a test that can detect the presence of the disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease, in blood. Because of outbreaks in Europe, the American Red Cross will not allow anyone who spent more than three months in the UK or six months in Europe to donate blood, even though there are sever shortages of blood across the US. The decision will not be reversed until a test is developed. 
Currently, only one test is available that can detect the presence of BSE in cattle, but it can only be taken once the animal has been slaughtered. 

Abstracted from: The Washington Post

Dominica: Officials monitor mad cow disease cases in Guadeloupe

BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; May 29, 2001



Text of report by Caribbean news agency Cana Roseau, 29 May: Dominica agriculture authorities are monitoring developments in Guadeloupe, where French officials have confirmed two cases of the human variant of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. 

Another case was also reported in St Martin and according to the French Health Ministry, tests have shown that it is unlikely that two of the patients have contracted the disease. 

Since the outbreak in Europe four years ago, Dominica instituted a policy to keep the disease from the country, including the imposition of import restrictions on beef and beef products from Europe. 

A ban was also placed on imports other meat and meat products from Europe last March, following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. 

Plant Protection and Quarantine Officer Charles Pierre said neighbouring Guadeloupe has been treated as high risk, because of its proximity to Dominica, its direct contact with Europe and the high level of trade and travel between the two islands. 

Dominican hucksters engage in a significant level of trade in agricultural products with Guadeloupe. 

Pierre observed that there has always been an influx of products from Europe or other French territories in the region that would pass through Martinique and Guadeloupe into Dominica. 

"It has always been known that Guadeloupe and the other French territories are high risk areas for us and we've always treated it as such, and so it is not only because of the (fear of) the occurrence of BSE that our policy with Guadeloupe has to be put into effect," Pierre told the Caribbean News Agency (Cana) [on] Monday [28 May]. 

Pierre said there is still inadequate information on the mad cow scare in Guadeloupe, and the risk would be greater if the stocks in Guadeloupe were found to be infested or contaminated with mad cow disease. 

"If Guadeloupe is not infested, then the risk is still at the level that it used to be, and so we go about managing the risk according to the potential to affect this country," he stated. 

Pierre said there are established protocols in place on both the Guadeloupe and Dominica side, regarding plant diseases. 

However he said the existing import restrictions pertain not only to French department and but extend across the board to all infested countries. 

"As you know it is dynamic quarantine and so we respond to diseases as they are reported, and when the status has changed it is equally our responsibility to respond and change our scenario," he remarked. 

The Ministry of Health earlier this month eased import restrictions on the importation of other meat products from Europe, as a result of a decision taken at a recent Chief Veterinary Officers meeting in Guyana, which developed a list of products by categories of risk to foot-and-mouth disease. 

The importation of the meat products is at the discretion of the Ministry of Agriculture, and stringent import requirements have to be met to allow meat imports. 

"Our major importers here never seem to have a problem working with us and working with any polices that we may want to put in place," Pierre said. 

"I think our major problems has been with persons just coming in from one of these countries and who may know or not know the laws of this country, regarding the particular disease or the particular product type that he is bringing in," the quarantine official added. 

Source: Cana news agency, Bridgetown, in English 1439 gmt 29 May 01 

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.

01 giugno 2001