NR AXLX
AU Farhat,N.; Krewski,D.; Tyshenko,M.G.
TI Policy and Risk Management of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in Portugal
QU International Conference - Prion 2007 (26.-28.9.2007) Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK - Book of Abstracts: Epidemiology, Risk Assessment and Transmission P04.43
IA http://www.prion2007.com/pdf/Prion Book of Abstracts.pdf
PT Konferenz-Poster
AB The policy and risk management case study of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Portugal represents an excellent example of the difficulty encountered when dealing with uncertainty in decision making. Measures to control the spread of the disease were recommended by the European Union (EU) and national expert groups early on in the crisis. However, initial low compliance to these measures led to increasing numbers of detected cases. By 1998, Portugal was the third most affected area after the United Kingdom and Ireland. In Portugal, the BSE outbreak can be divided into three main periods, each marked by a major event at the national level. First, the disclosure of evidence of BSE cases dating back to 1990 by scientists from the reference laboratory (1993); second, the discovery of the link between BSE and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) (1996); and third, the embargo on all beef exports (1998). The embargo represented a turning point that led to needed changes in the management of the crisis and an eventual decline in the epidemic. Changes included an effective meat and bone meal (MBM) ban on all farm animals, the exclusion of specified risk materials (SRMs) from animal and human feed chains, improved rendering according to the EU recommended conditions, the introduction of active components to the surveillance system and further improvements in the passive surveillance system already in place. As with other countries that dealt with BSE, many lessons can be learned from the case in Portugal. These include the importance of implementing protective measures that have been proven effective in other countries, transparency in decision-making to avoid controversy, investments in research programs to understand the nature of the disease, as well as the consideration of scientific advice in government policies.
AD N. Farhat, D. Krewski, M.G. Tyshenko, University of Ottawa, McLaughlin Centre, Canada
SP englisch
PO Schottland