CBS Tries To Reassure Americans Regarding Mad Cow USA

Subject: Corralling Mad Cow Disease (1 of 3) & 1/29/01 CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,267898-412,00.shtml
CBS NEWS BROADCAST, Monday, January 29, 2001

Corralling Mad Cow Disease

* No Sign Of Mad Cow In U.S. Yet; Experts Remain Wary
* Hoping To Learn From Europe's Mistakes
* Despite Efforts To Erect A U.S. Firewall, There Are Holes

(CBS) In the first report in a three-part series, CBS News Correspondent
Wyatt Andrews reports on efforts to build a U.S. firewall against this
deadly disease, hoping to learn from Europe's mistakes. More than 80
people have died, mostly in Britain, with a few in France, Ireland and
elsewhere in Europe. And more than 180,000 infected animals have been
reported in Britain.
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Four years ago in England, Pamela Beyless wore the blank human face of
mad cow disease. Her father, Arthur, recalls her regression from
confusion, to loss of balance, to total disability.

"She couldn't blink her own eyes."

At the time, the British government played down the mad cow scare. The
beef was safe, it said. That's why Arthur Beyless couldn't connect
stumbling cows to the brain eating disease afflicting his daughter.

"Pamela was still Pamela inside, just locked in a body that was
destroying her," recalls Arthur.

Scientists think the human form of mad cow is contracted by eating
tainted beef, and cows get it by eating feed containing the remains of
infected cattle. That tainted feed was exported from Great Britain to
Western Europe, where the disease spread.

USDA's Battle Plan

Today in America, its Linda Detwiler's job to keep beef safe, and she's
certain she can do it. She's the chief of the USDA task force watching
mad cow, which means she's watching 40 million head of cattle, which is
one-fourth of the world's beef.

Under the U.S. system, any cow showing signs of brain disease gets
reported; most get destroyed and their brains are sent to the USDA lab.
They've checked 12,000 brains. Zero mad cow.

"We have done over a decade of preventive activities, a decade of
surveillance with no evidence of the disease, " boasts Detwiler.

Dr. Leon Smith is an expert at diagnosing infectious disease and is more
worried about humans than cows. "I think it will be an absolute miracle
if we don't have any cases in this country," he says.

Smith points out science doesn't know exactly what part of the cow
harbors mad cow disease and his concerns are not just for edible beef,
but English beef by-products like cosmetics and vaccines. "Theoretically
it can be in gelatin, bovine serum and other products."

When asked if he meant that they can rule it out when he said
theoretically, Smith replied,"They can't rule this out because we have
no way to test for it."

And when asked if he thought there was a chance we have it somewhere, he
responded, "Oh I am sure of it.

Despite all the effort to erect an American firewall against mad cow,
there are holes in the wall and one of them is cattle feed. Here's why:
to protect U.S. cattle from eating tainted feed, there is supposed to be
a label warning farmers when feed contains by-products of animals
susceptible to mad cow.

That system is broken.

Just last week 12,000 cattle were isolated in Texas, when Purina
announced it mistakenly put cow remains in batch of cattle feed. The FDA
recently reported more than 700 feed makers were not labeling prohibited
material.

Dr. Stephen Sundlof of the FDA was asked if that level of compliance
acceptable to him. "No it's not," he replied.

Dr. Sundlof, who is the official in charge of protecting feed, says all
700 feed makers are being re-inspected and there have been five recalls
of cattle feed. He says, "We can't say for certain that some of this has
not been fed to other cattle. That concerns us."

As of today, the infectious agent that actually causes mad cow has never
been found in American cows or people. The beef is safe, the risk of
infection small. But be vigilant, says Arthur Beyless back in England.
He's heard most of that before.