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Emerging Diseases Committee
Mid-Year Report
August 27, 2004
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BSE and other prion
associated diseases continue to be hot topics.
The USDA BSE surveillance program is underway.
The NIAA emerging disease committee discussed, via email, the
USDA’s policy of immediately releasing preliminary positive BSE
tests to the media. This
policy has proven to create market fluctuations and undue public
concern over the safety of the beef supply. Thus far, subsequent
definitive testing has failed to confirm any further true positive BSE
cases in the U.S., and confirmed that the preliminary positive results
were false positives. Concerns
over this matter were passed onto the NIAA executive director and
shared with USDA. Although
USDA has made some adjustments in their reporting procedures (they
will repeat the test at the initial laboratory), they still intend to
report the Biorad ELISA results to the public; while awaiting the more
definitive test results to be conducted at NVSL.
Therefore, this still is an issue of significant concern to me
and others on the Emerging Disease Committee.
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The AAVLD annual
meeting will feature a joint plenary program with USAHA focusing on
BSE – October 23rd in Greensboro North Carolina.
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Another Brucella
positive cattle herd has been identified in Wyoming, bringing the
number to 4 herds in the last two years.
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Potential emerging
diseases to be watched in the months ahead include Avian Influenza,
Exotic Newcastle Disease, and Vesicular Stomatitis.
Those
on the emerging disease committee that are attending the annual USAHA/AAVLD
meeting in October will meet to discuss topics and speakers for the annual
NIAA meeting.
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