Hidden CJD is new threat to thousands

Hidden CJD is new threat to thousands

THOUSANDS of people in Britain may be infected with variant CJD, the human equivalent of mad cow disease, without knowing it, research suggests.

Experiments have confirmed that it is possible for a much wider group of people than had been assumed to be infected with the incurable brain condition. The presence in the population of undetected carriers of the infection has serious implications for the safety of the blood supply, and it increases the risk of passing on vCJD to others through infected surgical instruments.

It could make it much harder to eliminate the human infection, even though cattle no longer carry it. Potentially it could linger for generations, or for ever. The team behind the research suggested that their finding represented a “significant public health issue”.

More...

Just, great.

What a mess. :shk:

Yes.. and "may" being the decisive word in that source.

Until proven i'm not goin to change the way i act.. i don't want hundreds if not thousands of cattle to be destroyed and i certinely don't want to give the French another oppertunity to boycott British meat.. burger anyone??

I think that may be a bit over-confident in the word "may":

From another source:

Some people carry the agent but never show symptoms, while others develop the disease after many years. It causes a change in personality, loss of body function and eventual death.

Scientists from Edinburgh said vCJD posed a "significant public health issue."

...

The experts also found that vCJD could be passed from human to human through secondary transmission - such as blood transfusions and contaminated surgical equipment - "with relative efficiency".

The study, published online today by The Lancet Neurology, said people may not know they have the agent for vCJD and thus there is a risk "of further disease transmission" through blood transfusions or equipment.

The scientists, from the National CJD Surveillance Unit and the Institute for Animal Health in Edinburgh, noted that there had been 161 reported cases of vCJD in the UK.

Source.

How confident are you that those 161 cases represent ALL who are infected?

Jeez Loam, you are turning into that weird guy in Chicago with the 15 watt p.a. and a mic screaming doomsday prophecies. You got a new scare everyday...quit it. Just kiddin. Thanks for another interesting article.

I think I am going to start eating Spam and Hotdogs only. Who has ever gotten sick from either of those....nobody. Ill live forever. Me and Walt Disney.

I'm thinking about buying stock in companies who manufacture aluminum foil...

Seriously, though, I don't write the news, I'm just bringing it to you...

Wish I could find more positive stuff on occasion... We could use more of that....

[edit on 27-3-2006 by loam]

BBC
Ok i think denial is slightly nieve but as the link above shows we "may" not all be at risk. There is no way id want to give up eating steak/ burgers!! Fatboy4life!

Originally posted by Knights
There is no way id want to give up eating steak/ burgers!! Fatboy4life!

Fair enough!

I ain't givin' up my steak yet either!

But still.....

"But researchers who tested 12,674 appendix and tonsil samples found three showed signs of apparent vCJD, indicating around 3,800 people could ultimately be affected.

However, only one of the three positive samples actually matched those taken from people who had been diagnosed with the clinical disease. "

Had my appendix out last year.. bet i'm one of the three positives knowing my luck!

Then in that case, you should be able to eat steak and burgers with wild abandon!!!!

ENJOY!!!

Strange how people are slowly realising that a pathogen which is resistant to cooking, most variants of surgical sterilisation, as well as sunlight and and any kind weather might pose a slight problem.

20 years later we're basically lucky this thing wasn't much more lethal than it turned out to be thus far *knocks on wood*