Sick and Tired

If SARS and the West Nile virus weren't enough, now Canada has to deal with Mad Cow disease

It definitely hasn't been Canada's year. In terms of public health, the country seems to move from crisis to crisis. The SARS epidemic had left its mark, as the authorities try their best to offset the stigma associated with the disease. In addition to this, West Nile virus has once again reared its ugly head. A highly infectious disease spread by mosquitoes, it caused fear and panic in the eastern part of the country last year, including the suburbs of big cities like Montreal. It appears to be inexorably making its way westward; signs of it have already been found in the nation's capital, Ottawa. And now, in the western province of Alberta, authorities have confirmed the existence of BSE, better known as Mad Cow disease.

Europeans are all to familiar with BSE, especially in the UK, Germany and France. A brain-wasting disease that can cross the species barrier, BSE is mainly transmitted through contaminated feed, but can also be passed on through the transfusion of infected blood. The effects of the disease are quite horrific: the brain become porous, like a sponge; the victim becomes disoriented, demented, and ultimately dies.

"It's only one cow"

News of the disease in Canada spread through the country like wildfire. Authorities have been quick to assure the public that there is no danger to consumer health and that the situation is under control. Still, many are asking uncomfortable questions, such as why it had taken four months for the authorities to come up with the results.

Meanwhile, corporate media has been quick to rally to the defense of its paymaster. The common line touted about is that "it's only one cow." What is more, pundits contend, the risk is very small so there is no need to worry. As one expert stated on national television, "the human health impact is minuscule." Others point to the fact that globally there have been so far "only" about 200 victims of the human variant of the disease, known as new variant CJD (nvCJD).

The fact that there are "few" victims shouldn't lead authorities to be complacent. European research has confirmed that there may be thousands affected with nvCJD in Europe. Because of the long and uncertain incubation period, the disease hasn't really manifested itself yet among humans.

Nevertheless, it's obvious where the real concern over Mad Cow disease lies. As a front page column in the leading national paper bemoaned, "another exotic disease strikes our country, imperiling not our health, but our economy." The figures speak for themselves. Over 90% of Canadian beef exports are to the US, worth approximately 3.5 billion dollars. With the US temporarily suspending the import of Canadian beef, the Canadian meat industry is expected to be hit hard by the crisis.

Although many have reacted to news of Mad Cow disease in Canada with shock, this isn't the first time the country has had to deal with it. There was a single case of BSE before in Canada, in December 1993 from a bull that was imported from the UK six years earlier. Canada had banned imports of European cattle only in 1990, and the use of offal feed in 1997.

Mad Cow disease isn't a natural occurrence; it's a direct result of the profit motive

What is puzzling authorities with this latest outbreak is how the cow came to be infected in the first place. A new identification system has been running nation-wide to track the origin of cattle, but it was only fully implemented a year ago. Thus, it's near useless in this case as the cow was born long before this. At that time branding was used as the most common method as opposed to the more modern method of ear-tagging. As a result, only about 10% of Canadian cattle are fully traceable the old way.

One theory as to the origin of this latest case of BSE in Canada is that the infected cow or its mother may have been imported from a country infected with the disease, such as Britain. Even though the cow affected was born after the import ban of UK cattle was imposed, it's still possible that it came from a country which was slow to ban UK cattle imports. There is also speculation that the infection was caused by the use of illegal feed produced either domestically or outside the country. Another suggestion is that this is just a "sporadic occurrence".

It's a shame that with such a serious issue at hand corporate media is already hard at work spreading confusion and misinformation. The notion of "sporadic occurrence" is not only a term devoid of meaning, it's intellectually dishonest. It carries with it the connotation that BSE is somehow a natural occurrence, thus lessening its impact to a certain extent. Mad Cow disease isn't a natural occurrence; it's a direct result of the profit motive stemming from industrialised agriculture practices.

All that is known for now is that the infected cow lived on two other farms. Also, reports have been leaking out of the possibility that five offspring of the infected cow may have entered the food chain, which calls into question the claim of experts that the possible impact of this latest outbreak on humans is almost nil. If it's subsequently proven that infected offspring have entered the food chain, it then substantially raises the possibility that the disease is more widespread than presently acknowledged.

Ultimately, what this latest Mad Cow scare in Canada will do is show how much industrialised countries have learned from mistakes of the past. What has made BSE such a tragedy over the years is not so much the disease itself, but at what lengths government and industry conspire to sweep a genuine health concern under the rug. In the UK and Germany especially, the outbreak was made all the worse by institutional procrastination and political arrogance. Thus, the only hope is that the Canadian government won't make the same mistakes that were made in Europe.