scholarly journals Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in Japan. How was the “Blanket Testing Myth” Created?

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideaki Karaki ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Communication ◽  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Jakob Disease ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk

In 1986, after bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was discovered in the United Kingdom, over 183,000 cases have been confirmed to date. In 1996, the UK government announced that BSE may be transmitted to humans, causing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). Retrospectively, the measures taken by the UK government were appropriate and the number of new cases of both BSE and vCJD decreased. Because of the long incubation period between infection and the appearance of clinical symptoms in both BSE and vCJD, a long time was needed to determine the effects of these measures. The inappropriate risk communication, however, caused people to lose trust in the UK government, and fear spread. In Japan, a cow infected with BSE was found in 2001. Although no cattle showing BSE symptoms were found and the risk of BSE infection was low, fear again spread due to inadequate risk communication. To allay consumer anxieties, the government began testing all cattle at slaughter facilities. This, in turn, generated the "blanket testing myth" - the misunderstanding that BSE testing was the most important measure needed to maintain the safety of beef consumption.

scholarly journals Rhetorical uses of precise numbers and semi-magical round numbers in political discourse about COVID-19: Examples from the government of the United Kingdom

2021 ◽  
pp. 095792652110131
Author(s):  
Michael Billig
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
British Government ◽  
Political Incentives ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Round Numbers ◽  
Magical Power ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The 19Th Century

This paper examines how the British government has used statistics about COVID-19 for political ends. A distinction is made between precise and round numbers. Historically, using round numbers to estimate the spread of disease gave way in the 19th century to the sort precise, but not necessarily accurate, statistics that are now being used to record COVID-19. However, round numbers have continued to exert rhetorical, ‘semi-magical’ power by simultaneously conveying both quantity and quality. This is demonstrated in examples from the British government’s claims about COVID-19. The paper illustrates how senior members of the UK government use ‘good’ round numbers to frame their COVID-19 goals and to announce apparent achievements. These round numbers can provide political incentives to manipulate the production of precise number; again examples from the UK government are given.

scholarly journals Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United Kingdom

2002 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
F Reid
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Jakob Disease

The Department of Health in the United Kingdom has issued the latest figures on known cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, including cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the form of the disease linked to bovine spongiform encephalopathy. To 7 January 2002, 104 deaths from vCJD have occurred in the United Kingdom

scholarly journals Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United Kingdom

2002 ◽  
Vol 6 (45) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Hoile
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Jakob Disease

The Department of Health in England has issued the latest figures on known cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United Kingdom (UK), including cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the form of the disease thought to be linked to bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

scholarly journals Projections of the future course of the primary vCJD epidemic in the UK: inclusion of subclinical infection and the possibility of wider genetic susceptibility

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Clarke ◽  
Azra C Ghani
Keyword(s):  
Blood Transfusion ◽  
Small Proportion ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Subclinical Infection ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Jakob Disease ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Primary Transmission ◽  
Clinical Cases

The incidence of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD) in the United Kingdom appears to be in decline, with only four deaths reported this year (to 6 September 2004). However, results of a survey of lymphoreticular tissues have suggested a substantially higher prevalence of vCJD than expected from the clinical data alone. There are two plausible explanations for this discrepancy: first, a proportion of those infected will not develop clinical disease (subclinical infection); and second, the genetic group in which no clinical cases of vCJD have yet occurred is susceptible. Using mathematical models for the primary transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy to humans, we explore the impact of these hypotheses on case predictions. Under the first hypothesis, the results suggest relatively few future cases will arise via primary transmission, but that these cases are a small proportion of those infected, with most having subclinical infection. Under the second hypothesis, results suggest a maximum fivefold increase in cases, but this hypothesis is unable to account for the discrepancy between clinical cases and the estimated prevalence. Predictions of future cases of vCJD therefore remain uncertain, particularly given the recent identification of additional cases infected via blood transfusion.

scholarly journals Three serial passages of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in sheep do not significantly affect discriminatory test results

2009 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 764-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Stack ◽  
Lorenzo González ◽  
Martin Jeffrey ◽  
Stuart Martin ◽  
Colin Macaldowie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Prion Proteins ◽  
Oral Exposure ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Western Immunoblotting ◽  
Jakob Disease ◽  
Disease Variant ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Sheep Scrapie

During the 1980s, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-contaminated meat and bonemeal were probably fed to sheep, raising concerns that BSE may have been transmitted to sheep in the UK. The human disease, variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, arose during the BSE epidemic, and oral exposure of humans to BSE-infected tissues has been implicated in its aetiology. The concern is that sheep BSE could provide another source of BSE exposure to humans via sheep products. Two immunological techniques, Western immunoblotting (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC), have been developed to distinguish scrapie from cases of experimental sheep BSE by the characteristics of their respective abnormal, disease-associated prion proteins (PrPd). This study compares the WB and IHC characteristics of PrPd from brains of primary, secondary and tertiary experimental ovine BSE cases with those of cattle BSE and natural sheep scrapie. Discrimination between experimental sheep BSE and scrapie remained possible by both methods, regardless of the route of challenge.

UK government is preparing for an early election

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
General Election ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Eu

Significance Johnson's cabinet overhaul is the largest in decades, replacing 17 cabinet ministers from the previous government mostly with individuals who support Johnson’s hard-line stance on Brexit. Impacts Brussels could offer London a ‘Northern Ireland only’ backstop, but this will be rejected by the UK government. The government will likely pass legislation to protect EU citizens’ rights in the United Kingdom if there is a no-deal Brexit. The EU will only grant another extension if a deal is almost agreed, or if there is a UK general election or second Brexit referendum.

Prion protein gene sequence of Canada's first non-imported case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)

Genome ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 1005-1009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B Coulthart ◽  
Rhonda Mogk ◽  
Jason M Rancourt ◽  
Deborah L Godal ◽  
Stefanie Czub
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Prion Protein ◽  
Protein Misfolding ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Dna Sequence Data ◽  
Imported Case ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Jakob Disease

In May 2003, Canada became the 22nd country outside of the United Kingdom to report a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in an animal not known to be imported from a country with cattle previously affected by this fatal, transmissible prion disease. Despite extensive testing of thousands of other animals that may have been exposed to contaminated feed at the same time as the affected animal, no evidence has been found for other infections. This finding leaves room for conjectures that the single confirmed case arose spontaneously, perhaps (by analogy with human Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease) as a result of a somatic protein misfolding event or a novel germline mutation. Here we present DNA sequence data from the affected animal's prion protein coding sequence that argue definitively against the latter hypothesis.Key words: bovine spongiform encephalopathy, spontaneous origin, prions, mutation, Canada.

scholarly journals Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United Kingdom

2002 ◽  
Vol 6 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Hoile
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Jakob Disease

The Department of Health in England has issued the latest figures on known cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United Kingdom (UK), including cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the form of the disease thought to be linked to bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

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