Is mad cow disease spreading in Türkiye? 'There is no danger on the ground'

Mad Cow (Creutzfeldt -Jakob) disease , first reportedly seen in Ankara and then in Bolu , has created panic among citizens. Following allegations that a patient at Bilkent City Hospital in Ankara had been diagnosed with the disease, the hospital released a statement on the matter . The statement read , “As a result of the investigation, it has been determined that the patient is being monitored by our hospital's Neurology Clinic , but the diagnosis has not yet been confirmed . Clinical evaluations and laboratory findings have not revealed a clear clinical picture of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). In addition to his neurological findings , our patient is also being monitored for possible conditions that may arise from various branches .” The Ministry of Health also stated that there is no definitive diagnosis.

' IT CANNOT BE DESTROYED BY DISINFECTION AND COOKING METHODS '

Dr. Gülay Ertürk, President of the Veterinary Medical Association, stated that there is no threat to livestock farming in the field and explained to Cumhuriyet newspaper some misconceptions about the incurable mad cow disease . Ertürk said, “Mad cow disease is a fatal prion disease that affects the central nervous system and is seen in cattle . Its causative agent is not a bacteria or virus , but a prion, a misfolded protein. Therefore, it cannot be destroyed by conventional disinfection and cooking methods.”

'IT CAN BE TRANSMITTED BY TISSUES SUCH AS THE BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD CONTAMINATING FOOD'

Ertürk stated that the disease is transmitted to cattle through feed containing meat-and-bone meal mixed with infected animal tissues , adding , “ Humans can be infected if high- risk tissues , such as the brain and spinal cord, of an infected animal contaminate the food.” Recalling that the disease first emerged in England in 1986 and caused a crisis in the livestock sector and public health in the 1990s, Ertürk said , “ It was detected in more than 180,000 cattle in England, and millions of animals were slaughtered. In 1996, a variant of Creutzfeldt -Jakob disease , seen in humans, was identified in connection with this disease . In other words, it has been scientifically proven that some people contract this prion disease as a result of infected cattle tissues contaminating food.”

' THERE IS NO OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED CASE'

According to reports, more than 230 people worldwide have contracted the disease to date , Ertürk explained, explaining that the majority of these patients have died in European countries such as the UK, France, and Ireland . In this context, Ertürk said, “Following this incident, strict bans were imposed on the use of animal proteins in feed in European Union countries and Turkey , and veterinary inspections were made mandatory to prevent post-slaughter risky tissues from entering food . In our country, the feeding of animal-derived feed to ruminants has been prohibited since the early 2000s . To date, there have been no officially confirmed cases in animals in Turkey.”