Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine  2005;10(5):303-314

doi:10.1007/BF02897706

BSE safety standards: An evaluation of public health policies of Japan, Europe, and USA.

Gino C MATIBAG 1 ; Manabu IGARASHI ; Hiko TAMASHIRO

Affiliations

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Keywords

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; bovine spongiform encephalopathy; mad cow disease; public health policy; transmissible spongiform encephalopathy

Country

Japan

Language

English

Abstract

Since the advent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the United Kingdom in 1986, new BSE cases have recently become rare. However, in Japan and the United States, positive cases have started to be seen recently. The rise in BSE cases paved the way for the human form of this disease, the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). The observed trends in the UK may be attributed to effective implementation of public health policies coupled with increased vigilance through advancement in science and technology, or they may well be a reflection of the natural disease progression. We aim to discuss the BSE chronology of events, and compare examination methods, costs and cost-efficiency, management, and public policies of Japan, Europe, and the USA.