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Mad Cow Disease The Great British Beef Scandal.

82 replies

HelenaDove · 11/07/2019 21:22

Is anyone else watching?

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BertieBotts · 12/07/2019 16:16
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HelenaDove · 12/07/2019 20:28

Apparently there is a documentary on Prime
Cash Cows and Cover Ups

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heeblejeeble · 12/07/2019 22:32

I watched this on catch up today and it's really stuck with me. I'm terrified, I was born in 1990 and I know my mum fed us cheap meat as she couldn't afford anything else. I don't eat meat now but the damage could be done and sitting here in my body waiting, it's utterly terrifying. I'm off to read that reddit thread to scare myself even more :D

The blood transfusions thing scared me too, do they still kill white blood cells in donations does anyone know?

There we are all are banned from donating blood abroad but we're giving it to each other in Britain it's insane. I guess those born after 96/97 will eventually be the majority and the risk will be eradicated completely.

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MadamePompadour · 12/07/2019 22:40

I don't think the risk will be eradicated completely.

The post 96ers could have been infected by blood transfusion or operations and continue to infect others. And the cycle continues.

How many people are told of the risk when counselled for a blood transfusion. I work in a hospital as a midwife and never heard a single Dr mention it to anyone.

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MadamePompadour · 12/07/2019 22:44

I remember years ago a post natal women with a hb of 8.5 felt awful and was trying to insist on a transfusion. I explained it's normal a day after giving birth to feel rubbish and iron tablets were safer even if slower.

She was quite sneery as she said everything is screened. I pointed out the risk of transfusions isn't all about infections but also mentioned cjd. That we don't screen for it. She seemed to think I was making the whole thing up.

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Firstimpressionsofearth · 12/07/2019 22:58

I wish I hadn't watched it..I'm paranoid now me or dh might have it.

And if we are incubating could that have an effect on our kids?

The government fed school kids the brains and spines of brain diseased cows. Not a comic not a movie - real fucking fucked up.

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JuniperNarni · 12/07/2019 23:08

I just watched this on catch up, I remember seeing the footage on tele as a child and I was absolutely terrified of it and now I am again. I kind of wish I didn't watch it now.

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CilantroChili · 12/07/2019 23:33

I worked in London 1989 for a couple of years

I can’t donate blood here in Ireland.

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HelenaDove · 13/07/2019 00:51

From the Telegraph 17/7/2000

Also mentions baby food.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1348917/School-food-may-have-spread-CJD.html

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StarbucksSmarterSister · 13/07/2019 10:37

I pointed out the risk of transfusions isn't all about infections but also mentioned cjd. That we don't screen for it.

I'm shocked by this Why isn't it screened for?

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PancakeAndKeith · 13/07/2019 10:39

I don’t eat meat now and haven’t done for years.
However when the whole BSE thing hit in the 90s I was on the dole and mince was so cheap. I ate loads then.

My family were dairy farmers. They knew that that what they were feeding the cows wasn’t good.

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MadamePompadour · 13/07/2019 12:32

It's not screened for in blood as it can't be picked up. There's no test. Even in people it can only be confirmed on post mortem.

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StarbucksSmarterSister · 13/07/2019 14:50

Madamepompadour I have a friend who is a regular blood donor and she swears she was tested for it years ago. So she's mistaken or was fibbed to?

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MadamePompadour · 13/07/2019 17:38

She's either mistaken or was fibbed to. There's no blood test. Even for people they suspect have it. Unless there's been a major development in the last year or so which I've missed but I don't think so.

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StarbucksSmarterSister · 13/07/2019 19:01

Thanks.

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CoteDAzur · 13/07/2019 19:08

"I read the prions aren't killed by standard autoclaving?"

Understandable, since prions are not alive. They are badly folded proteins.

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CoteDAzur · 13/07/2019 19:09

"also mentioned cjd. That we don't screen for it."

"I'm shocked by this Why isn't it screened for?"

Because they are not in your blood. They are in your brain.

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bumblenbean · 13/07/2019 19:13

I found the program extremely disturbing. Granted I’m generally a huge worrier anyway but I’m now really freaking out that I could be incubating the bloody thing. Born in the early 80’s and sure I ate plenty of crappy meat at school Shock

It’s terrifying that it could be brewing in any one of us and we’d have no bloody idea and there’s absolutely bugger all we can do about it. shudder

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PancakeAndKeith · 13/07/2019 19:13

Because they are not in your blood. They are in your brain.

So why the refusal of blood from people who lived in the U.K.?

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NotAnotherJaffaCake · 13/07/2019 19:17

There's been at least as many cases of mad cow disease in France. Their farmers had better PR.

But yes, I am glad I am a lifelong vegetarian. Given that even autoclaving doesn't destroy prions, refusing blood seems sensible.

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orangeshoebox · 13/07/2019 19:34

I wonder how many dementia patients are misdiagnosed.

btw it's not a new disease. it's been observed in sheep as well. and deer.

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AuntieGT · 13/07/2019 19:50

I watched half but had to switch off as a friend has recently been diagnosed with cjd. It’s a truly hideous disease. They say theirs is classic rather than variant so not caused by eating infected meat. What I don’t understand though is how they know for sure who has classic and who has the variant? I don’t think dementia would be misdiagnosed as apparently cjd shows up in a very specific way on a scan, it is still very rare. It’s truly terrifying to think that there might be lots of people who are ticking time bombs for this though.

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BertieBotts · 13/07/2019 20:11

Because it is transmitted by blood, even though it doesn't show up that way. It's like they couldn't screen for HIV before they knew what it was, and HIV doesn't show signs of being in blood until about a year after transmission, yet can still be passed on. So if you've done anything high risk for HIV transmission you must wait a year, then have a clean screening test, before you can donate blood. (unless it's changed)

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BouquetNotBucket · 13/07/2019 20:18

I looked up about the Kuru illness and apparently some have developed a sort of immunity to it, completely stops the prions from working.
(Or something like that, I’m in no way science minded Grin)

Maybe that will happen here?

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Scaredofthecity · 13/07/2019 20:23

I found this really interesting.

I work in theatres and just thought I'd clear a few things up...

vCJD transmission is taken very seriously. We minimise the risk as much as possible.

  1. Any patient who has a known risk of vCJD and comes for an operation will be planned for months in advance. The instruments used will be destroyed afterwards.


  1. All instruments are tracked carefully. There is a very clear paper trail.


  1. There are separate instrument trays for brain and spinal surgery for patients born after 96. They are not mixed with the instruments used for pre-96 patients.


  1. Most of the blood products we use (except red-cells) come from Europe or the US because of the potential risk of prion contamination.


Interestingly for a long time they thought that tonsils held prions and all tonsil surgery was performed with disposable instruments. Advice has now changed.
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