Experts warn of wider vCJD threat (Mad Cow Disease)

[Cronus Protagonist]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3539156.stm

-snip-

"It's absolutely possible that there may be a new epidemic, because the cases we've seen so far may only be those who are unusually susceptible or have the shortest incubation periods. "I'm not in the business of scaremongering, but quite clearly the idea that this problem is on the way out is unfortunately not the case at all."

Professor John Collinge, head of the Medical Research Council's prion unit told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he backed Professor Ironside's findings. He added: "There is considerable uncertainty over how this will unfold. "But we have to be prepared for it to unfold over decades and not years."

Frances Hall, secretary of the Human BSE Foundation, whose son Peter died from the illness in 1996, said: "The hope was that only those of an unusual genetic type would develop vCJD. Unfortunately it now looks like more people could be susceptible. "It's still too early in the day to know how many people will eventually end up with this disease.


-snip-

[FloridaPat]

1. A brief review of how hamburger gets to the store.

Everything the can put into hamburger gets in it. But the worst part is that there are very few companies that make hamburger anymore. One company in the midwest has been working for decades to own all the hamnburger in the country. All meat is shipped to their plants and ground up. It all goes into one big vat and then is shipped out to stores everywhere. Thereby increasing the risk of Mad Cow and other diseases.

I don't buy hamburger now unless I know it came into the store as beef and was ground there. Some stores will tell you it's ground on the premisis, and it is, but it was ground up before it came in. Small little white lie.

The name of the company starts with an A. Out int he midwest somewhere. Their hope is to own all the meat processing plants in the US.

[Shakespeare]

2. I think you're thinking of ConAgra....

HUGE meat packing company. Blech.

I plunked down the cash for the meat grinder attachment for my heavy-duty Kitchenaid mixer last year, and we've been grinding our own. The difference in taste and texture (no gristle!) is astonishing. Stay away from the mystery meat. Scary stuff.

:scared:

[ItsThePeopleStupid]

11. We had a mechanical one when I was a kid

It had a bunch of attachments (hole sizes where the meat came out) and a very simple screw thingie inside. You clamped it onto a counter top and turned the handle.

Hmmm, am I coming down with vCJD or is it just old age?

[NorthernSun]

3. Mad Cow Time Bomb may include half of British people

From the Daily Mirror at <http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/tm_objectid=14502141%26method=full%26siteid=50143%26headline=mad%2dcow%2dtime%2dbomb-name_page.html>

[Cronus Protagonist]

5. And how many Americans?

You know we have mad cow here and it's not being reported, and Americans eat a lot more ground beef (parts that can't be sold individually) than any other country in the world.

Personally, I'll stick to chicken for the foreseeable future. I might live after a Salmonella infection, and I made it theough a Listeria infection (from almonds), but mad cow is forever.

SHOVE IT! - Drop Bush Not Bombs! - Hero Kerry AWOL Bush
http://brainbuttons.com/home.asp?stashid=13

[newyawker99]

12. Hi NorthernSun!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[truthisfreedom]

4. hey, maybe ted turner is onto something with his buffalo burgers.

maybe we carnivores should all switch. i can get it at whole foods... i'm trying some.

[JDPriestly]

6. I refuse to buy beef until enough cows

are tested to assure that beef is safe.

[JohnLocke]

9. Ditto.

[Lorien]

7. Much better for the environment, too

buffalo are a natural part of the western ecosystem. Beef cattle are not.

[Eurobabe]

8. I switched to only organic beef, chicken and dairy

I've lost 12 lbs. Our meat supply is overloaded with anti-biotics, etc.

[dflprincess]

10. According to Jim Hightower's new book

"Let's Stop Beating Aroung the Bush", "autopsy studies done at Yale show that 20% of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's were misdiagnosed... They actually had CJD."

So much for the "isolated cases" we've been told about.

Also, according to what Hightower said when I heard him speak a couple weeks ago it would add less that $0.06 per pound of beef to inspect all the cattle slaughtered in the U.S.