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Experts Put Risk to US Public in Perspective

Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2004;291:543-549.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The recent discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow" disease) in an adult Holstein cow in Washington state has left many consumers wondering whether they should be concerned about the safety of beef and physicians pondering how to help their patients separate legitimate health risks from myths. While government officials and scientists agree that a certain level of caution should be taken, not all see eye-to-eye on what risks the public truly faces.

The first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) diagnosed in the United States was found in a Holstein cow in the state of Washington last December. Brain tissue, primarily gray matter, of a BSE-affected cow takes on a spongelike appearance due to microscopic vacuoles, or holes. (Photo credits: USDA/Larry Rana [left] USDA, APHIS, Veterinary Services [right])

ASSESSING RISK

Despite the occurrence of about 150 human infections following an outbreak of mad . . . [Full Text of this Article]