Summary

Original source:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1452060.htm

Details

• Dead bodies washed ashore in India may have contaminated animal feed that was exported to the United Kingdom, triggering mad cow disease, scientists say.
• The cause of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which infected an estimated 2 million cattle during an epidemic, in the UK is unknown.
• It is thought to have resulted from cattle being fed material containing remains of sheep infected with the disease scrapie.
• But Professor Alan Colchester of the University of Kent says it may have been caused by the tonnes of animal bones and other tissue imported from India for animal feed.
• Scrapie, BSE and CJD are all illnesses caused by brain proteins that transform themselves into infectious agents.
• Professor Colchester and his daughter Nancy, of the University of Edinburgh, say that many human and animal corpses are disposed of in rivers in India in line with Hindu custom.
• The remains wash ashore in poor areas where bone collectors work.
• "We are aware of a considerable risk of the incorporation of human remains with the animal remains that are collected - they are processed locally and some have been exported," Professor Colchester said.
• Scientists believe humans acquired variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) from eating meat from infected cattle.
• Since vCJD was first detected in the mid-1990s, more than 150 people have died of the illness.
• The scientists say the risk of a load of animal byproducts being infected with human material would be very small.
• But importing animal material went on for decades so the cumulative risk could become significant over time.
• "Scientists must proceed cautiously when hypothesising about a disease that has such wide geographic, cultural and religious implications," Professor Shankar says.

Related Articles

Popular Topics: Mad cow, India, Animal feed, Diabetes, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Heart disease, Depression, High cholesterol, Osteoporosis, Vaccines, Autism, ADHD, Infertility, Weight loss, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Trans fats, Acrylamides, Fluoride, Mercury	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/011931.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/011931.html">Scientists theorize link between funeral rites, mad cow disease</a>
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber! Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.	Your Email Address: Free Subscription Code: Enter the numbers you see: 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.
Recommended Special Report: Seven Words that can Change the World by Joseph R. Simonetta Read this special report now... "Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com	More on NaturalNews.com: • Streaming Health Ranger Videos • CounterThink Cartoons • FREE Special Reports • Podcasts