Replies

Time to become a vegetarian.

Several years ago while discussing BSE I made the same quip to a Dept. of Agriculture official sitting next to me on a plane.

The response was "you can't escape it by becoming a vegetarian". Do you know why?

The statement from the DOA (Dept of AG, not dead on arrival) employee might be explainable by the fact that: 1) the disease has a decades-long incubation period followed by a rapid decline, dementia and death. Therefore, you might be carrying the disease from a burger you had years ago; 2) classic ovo-lacto vegetarianism includes animal products--vegan excludes all animal products, and 3) animal products are in your shoes, soaps, make up, etc.

A footnote to the above is that there is some speculation that the reason there are so few autopsies of dementia deaths is that the disease is communicable by contact with infected tissue and blood.

Speaking of blood, the DOA has still refused to prohibit the feeding of blood to cattle. And, pork is at risk because pigs are slaughtered at age 2-3 before the disease normally manifests.

I am not telling people to become vegans, but I think everyone should be aware of the threat to our food supply. As the article points out the US has not been keeping track of variant CJD deaths or notifying doctors around the country that many of their dementia patients may actually be CJD.

In the words of Clint, "You gonna finish that burger?"