Britain confirms 100th vCJD case

LONDON, England -- The human version of the cattle brain disease BSE has marked a milestone in Britain with the 100th case being confirmed.

Scientists advising the government on the disease warned that the incidence of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) could be increasing.

Professor Roy Anderson of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) said at a news conference: "It will be a long time before we have an idea of the scale of the epidemic.

"Last year was bad news, and this year looks as if it's going to be higher."

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Scientists believe people contract variant CJD by eating beef infected with BSE, which emerged in 1986 and developed into an epidemic when farmers added recycled meat and bone meal from infected cows into cattle feed.

The government announced in 1996 that the cattle illness could infect humans.

Because a case of variant CJD cannot be confirmed except through an autopsy, the tally of victims includes confirmed fatalities and living people who display symptoms of the disease.

On May 4, when the last official figures were issued by the Department of Health, the number of definite and probable cases stood at 99. A total of six people were still alive.

Britain stopped burying cattle in 1992 for fear of spreading BSE. Instead infected cattle were cremated in special incinerators.

Scientists met on Thursday to discuss the disposal of carcasses of cattle over 5 years old -- deemed most at risk of carrying BSE -- that have been slaughtered during the current epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease.

The Press Association reported some cattle carcasses culled as part of the foot-and-mouth disease eradication programme may have to be dug up and burned because of the threat of spreading the cattle disease.

The Department of Health said that on the advice of SEAC risk assessments would be undertaken at individual burial sites.

The sheer scale of animals slaughtered and buried whole or burned on makeshift pyres has raised fears the disease could enter the water supply if burial sites were not properly lined.

The Agriculture Ministry said on Thursday that environment officials would investigate the risk of water contamination.