OFFICIAL NOTE

Clarifications concerning cases of neurodegenerative diseases in Bahia

Published on 10/10/2022 at 18:36 Updated on 10/10/2022 at 19:04

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) affirms that the cases of neurodegenerative diseases being investigated in the State of Bahia and announced in the press are not related to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) – variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), known popularly as “Mad Cow Disease”.

According to the Ministry of Health, one case is under investigation and tests to confirm the diagnosis still remain to be carried out. To date the information available indicates a possible case of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a form that is not linked to the consumption of beef and beef products contaminated by classic Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and is not transmitted directly from one individual to another.

No cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) have been confirmed in Brazil since the Ministry of Health introduced CJD surveillance. Nor has classic BSE ever been detected in Brazil’s cattle herd in the more than 20 years since MAPA introduced its system for surveillance of the disease, which it still coordinates.

Since 2012 Brazil has been recognized internationally by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) as a country at negligible risk for BSE.

Additionally, MAPA emphasizes that the consumption of beef and beef products in Brazil is considered safe and poses no risk to public health.

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