Published on April 24th, 2012 | by James Johnson
0Mad Cow Disease Found In California, First Case Since 2006
The U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed on Tuesday that the first case of mad cow disease was discovered in the state since 2006. Mad Cow was discovered in the dairy cow after it fell sick.
The USDA currently investigates sick cows as part of its ongoing efforts to stop the spread of the disease. According to the Wall Street Journal this is only the forth case of mad-cow reported in the United States.
Officials have been quick to point out that no meat from the animals entered the human food supply and it is not suspected that foreign countries will begin banning U.S. meat because of the contained incident since World Health Organization studies have shown that humans are not at risk of contracting the disease through milk consumption. In 2003 meat from the United States was banned from various countries until the mad-cow issue was brought under control.
John Clifford, chief veterinary officer for the agriculture department said at a press conference:
“There is really no cause for alarm here with regard to this animal.”
Clifford did not however reveal where the disease was discovered, only noting that the cow disease was found at a rendering plant in Central, California.
The USDA tests 40,000 cows each year in the United States.
While mad-cow disease can be fatal to humans if eaten in beef it is ALWAYS fatal in cattle.
In the meantime the Associated Press says the Agriculture Department is sharing its lab results with officials in Canada and England. This case is rare since the California cow did not contract the disease by eating infected cattle feed.