Mad Cow Disease!

[Habanero Smoker]

I don't want to create a panic, and this is not a rumor. I just want to get this information out, and you can choose what you need to do with this information. The following was just reported on the news from Albany, NY, and also in the Daily Freedman, the daily newspaper in Ulster County, NY.

Five people in Ulster County, NY have been diagnosed as having "New Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease" (nvCJD), the human version of "Mad Cow" disease. Four have died in Kingston Hospital, Kingston,NY in the past month, and the other one remains critically sick. Since this disease can have an incubation period of 10-15 years, at this time they don't know why this surfaced in these five people at this time, and there seems to be no relationship among these five. The NY Health Dept. is stating they are looking into this, but there is no need for panic.

Over the past few years, there have been rumors that the local deer population was infected, but again that is a rumor.

[Habanero Smoker]

Sorry to keep harping on this, and I know it is difficult to believe. I got more suspicious when Channel Six News, the only one of the four television stations in Albany,NY was reporting this, was now down playing the report they did at 5:00 PM during their 11:00 PM broadcast. I don't understand why it has not made the national news.

There is more than one variation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease - only one varient is currently known to be linked to mad cow disease; and the New York Health Dept. is stating they don't believe these four died from contaminated meat. According to the article (see link below), there are 250-300 death annually in the U.S. from Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, and approximately 30 deaths in New York per year. What heighten the alert in Ulster County is that four died with in 45 days, from a disease that has an incubation period of 10 or more years.

Here is the only printed report I could find on the internet:
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/health/1004/14braindisease.html

[Chez Bubba]

The answer is simple. Just vote for John Kerry & the crippled will rise from their wheelchairs and cancer will disappear....At least according to Senator Edwards....The same guy who has conversations with unborn fetuses.[:D][:D][:D]

Sorry Hab, didn't mean to derail your topic, just had to say it.

Please do keep us up to date on your findings, as I think we all have an interest in this news. At least you've been able to find something, I can't come up with crap.

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?