Florida Woman Said Dying of Mad Cow Disease

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The US government says that a 22 year old British woman living in Florida is apparently dying of British mad cow disease. Over one hundred Brits have now died of the disease and the death toll is doubling every three years. The Associated Press quotes US officials assuring the public that "all evidence indicates her illness poses no threat to anyone else or the agriculture industry." However, the US government is failing to adequately address the British mad cow threat as well as the threat of other mad cow-type diseases in the US. Chronic Wasting Disease in wild deer is being spread across North America by trafficking in infected farmed animals, and there is no proof that it won't eventually infect cattle and humans. Also, US regulations still allow the annual feeding of billions of pounds of rendered slaughterhouse waste back to livestock. US deer, elk and sheep infected with their versions of mad cow disease can legally be rendered and fed to pigs, pets and poultry, which in turn can be rendered and fed to cattle. The US refuses to adequately test slaughtered livestock for prion diseases, but for marketing purposes claims to be disease free. However, until a country initiates rigorous and ongoing testing there is no legitimacy to such claims.