MADRID (Reuters)
- Spanish authorities urged calm Wednesday after seven new cases
of mad cow disease were confirmed, bringing the total of infected
cows to 24.
Four of the new cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE),
a brain-wasting disease, were found in the northwestern region
of Galicia, with one each in Menorca, Palencia and Asturias.
"The
percentage is still less than one case in every thousand tests
being carried out," Ana Pastor, secretary for the presidency,
told reporters.
Deputy secretary
for Agriculture Manuel Lamela reassured Spanish consumers that
it was safe to buy beef in stores.
"All
beef that is in the market is safe for consumption, as it complies
with strict health controls," he said.
Scientists
say BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease, can be spread to people
when they eat infected beef products. The human version is known
as new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).
More than
80 people have died of vCJD in Britain and three in France. Experts
still do not know how extensively the disease will spread because
it can take years or even decades for symptoms to show.
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