Could consuming dairy products such as milk and cheese pose a potential health concern? Can BSE be contracted by consuming dairy products?
Dr. Chris ClarkThis was actually a very big topic in Britain because I don’t think a lot of people realized that BSE in Great Britain was really a disease that affected dairy cattle. In fact, probably greater than 85 per cent of cases in Great Britain occurred in dairy cows, so there was a lot of research early on looking at this issue. It’s been tested extensively and they’ve never been able to find any infectivity whatsoever in milk. Milk is one of those tissues that we consider to be extremely safe for the risk of transmission.
Dr. Chris Clark This was actually a very big topic in Britain because I don’t think a lot of people realized that BSE in Great Britain was really a disease that affected dairy cattle. In fact, probably greater than 85 per cent of cases in Great Britain occurred in dairy cows, so there was a lot of research early on looking at this issue. It’s been tested extensively and they’ve never been able to find any infectivity whatsoever in milk. Milk is one of those tissues that we consider to be extremely safe for the risk of transmission.