Spain Reports 1st ‘Mad Cow’ Disease Case

The government reported Spain’s first case of “mad cow” disease Wednesday and said it is investigating a second possible case.

Tests by government veterinarians in the northwestern Galicia region revealed a confirmed case of mad cow disease, known scientifically as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, late Wednesday morning, Agriculture Minister Miguel Arias Canete said. He said Spanish authorities sent samples of the second animal to British experts for further analysis.

“The first case is conclusive. There is no room for doubt,” Arias Canete said.

The disease has created enormous concern throughout Europe because mad cow disease has been linked to a fatal brain ailment in humans, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The minister said Spanish authorities have quarantined the farms where the cows lived along with other farms which may have had contact with the animals. He said all cows suspected to have had contact with either animal will be destroyed and tested.

Earlier this month, Spain banned imports of French and Irish cattle destined for use in breeding. The decision was made after a sharp increase in the number of cases of mad cow disease in France--up to 80 so far this year from 31 for all of last year.

Spain already bans imports of British, Swiss and Portuguese cattle and beef because of health fears.

Two people are known to have died in France from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which has no known cure. In Britain, 81 people have died since the illness was linked to mad cow disease by government scientists in 1996.