New York; Amid an international alarm over bird flu, UN experts are relieved that atleast the battle against the deadly Mad Cow Disease is being won through concerted and coordinated measures taken across the world.
Efforts to control the mad cow disease seem to have paid dividends with incidence of the deadly disease coming down by 50 per cent annually for the last three years. UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that last year just 474 animals died of the disease compared to 878 in 2004 and 1646 a year earlier.
Only five human deaths resulting from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), believed to be the human form of mad cow disease, were reported worldwide last year.
The cases were all reported in Britain which is most affected by the disease, nine deaths were registered in 2004 and 18 in 2003. Still, experts say vigilance is needed to build on the results achieved so far.
"It is quite clear that the disease is declining and that the measures introduced to stop it are effective. But further success depends on our continuing to apply those measures worldwide," FAO animal production expert, Andrew Speedy said.
FAO insists on the importance of a scientific approach to detect and control the disease, ensuring it is eradicated in affected countries and kept out of unaffected ones.
FAO, together with Swiss experts, has been running courses for specialists from countries as far a field as Serbia, Egypt, Vietnam, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Paraguay on the diagnosis, surveillance and prevention.
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