WORLD TRADE G/SPS/GEN/67
18March 1998
ORGANIZATION(98-1098)
Original: English Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE)
THE BRAZILIAN SITUATION
According toChapter 3.2.13 oftheInternational Animal Health Code ofOIE
Submission byBrazil atthemeeting of12-13 March 1998
InBrazil,bovinespongiformencephalopathy(BSE),scrapieandotherrelatedanimalpathologies
areincluded inthegroup ofexotic diseases forwhich theBrazilian epidemiological surveillance system
isalways alertonthewatch.
BSEisconsidered asanotifiable disease (Article 3.2.13.1. point 3-IAHC/OIE)
Asawaytoprevent theintroduction ofBSEinfection inBrazilian cattle, since 1990 Brazil
suspended theimport ofbovine, caprine andwildruminants from theUnited Kingdom. Theimport
ofsheep wassuspended since 1985. Thefollowing imports alsohavebeensuspended:
- bovine andovine embryos;
- bovine semen;
- beefmeatandby-products;
- bovine andovine viscera (brains, marrow, thymus, tonsils, spleen andguts);
- bone, meatandblood meal;
- animal feedstock made withprotein coming from domestic orwildruminants;
- organs, glands, tissues, andorganic fluidfrombovine, ovine andcaprine andwildruminants,
destined forthemanufacturing ofpharmaceutical products.
Theimportation ofbovines andbovine-derived products, mainly those which areintended for
animal use,wasprohibited from other BSEcountries.
BSEhasnever beenregistered intheBrazilian territory, itbeing extremely unlikely thatthe
agent ofthedisease maybefound inthecountry duetoquarantine measures adopted fortrade with
affected areas andother measures.G/SPS/GEN/67
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FACTS RELATING TOBSE
1. Country -BRAZIL
2. Cattle stocks
Region Total ofbovine Total ofovine
Southern Livestock Circuit 17555592 10848000
Midwestern Livestock Circuit 78937818 794000
Eastern Livestock Circuit 23796110 3374000
Northeastern Livestock Circuit 13691549 4652000
Northern Livestock Circuit 21473115 282000
Country total 155454184 19950000
3. Nunber ofBSEsuspicious (Article 3.2.13.1. point 1-IAHC/OIE)
Region 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
-NONE -
4. Bovine imported from United Kingdom (Article 3.2.13.1. point 2.a.i. -IAHC/OIE)
Region 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
-NONE -
5. Meat mealandmeatbone-meal imported from BSEcountries (Article 3.2.13.1. point 2.a.ii
-IAHC/OIE)
Norecord hasbeenfound ofimport ofmeat, boneandblood mealfrom ruminants from the
United Kingdom andother BSEcountries.
Region 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
-NONE -G/SPS/GEN/67
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6. Information ontheprohibition tofeedto,ortouseinfeedstuff for,ruminants ofanimal protein
(other thanmilkanddairy products), namely since when suchaprohibition exists, whether
itconcerns animal protein ingeneral oronlyanimal protein originating fromcertain countries,
which animal species, organs andtissues arenotallowed tobeusedforanimal feedandwhich
animal categories arenotallowed tobefedwithsuchprotein (Article 3.2.13.1. point 2.b.i-
IAHC/OIE)
Theprohibition tofeedto,ortouseinfeedstuff forruminants ofanimal protein (other than
milkanddairy products) wasadopted since 1996. ThePortaria n.290,from 16July1997, signed
bytheMinister ofAgriculture, isinforce onthismatter.
7. Continuous surveillance ofBSE(Article 3.2.13.1. point 3and4-IAHC/OIE)
Acontinuous rabies surveillance hasbeenpractised inallofthecountry foralongtime. Rabies
isendemic incattle andother species.
Since 1990 three thousand samples ofrabies andother nervous diseases insuspicious cattle,
withnegative results forrabies, were histologically examined andfound negative forBSE.
TheAnimal Health Department ofBrazil hasdiagnosed nocases ofBSEinBrazilian cattle
todate.
NUMBER OFSAMPLES EXAMINED
Laboratory1Number ofsamples
examined -1990-1996Number ofsamples
examined -1997 ***.
(1)PESAGRO-RJ 76 11
(2)Univ. Fed.Rural doRiodeJaneiro-RJ 380 120
(3)Univ. Fed.dePelotas-RS 1583 226
(4)Univ. Fed.Santa Maria-RS 329 32
(5)Univ. Fed.deMato Grosso doSul-MS 467 155
(***) Partial data.
1Name andaddress ofthediagnostic laboratories
(1) Laboratório debiologia animal dapesagro-RIO RIODEJANEIRO-RJ -Phone (55-21) 627-1432
Technical Responsible: Dr.Carlos Henrique Campelo Costa
(2) Laboratório depatologia doinstututo deveterinária dauniversidade federal rural doRIODEJANEIRO-RJ
Phone (55-21) 682-1082 -Technical Responsible: Dr.Paulo Peixoto
(3) Labor atórioregionaldediagnóst icodafaculdadedeveterináriadauniversidadefederaldePelotas-PELOTAS -RS
Phone (55-532) 737310-Fax(55-532) 759004-Technical Responsible: Prof. Franklin RietCorrea
(4) Departamento depatologia dauniversidade federal deSanta Maria -SANTA MARIA-RS
Phone (55-55) 2208168 -Fax(55-55) 2208693
Technical Responsible: Prof. Claudio Severo Lambardo Barros
(5) Labor atóriodeanatomiapotológicadonúcleodeciênciasveterináriasdauniversidadefederaldoMATO GROS SO
DOSUL-MS -Technical Responsible: Prof. Ricardo Antônio Amaral deLemosG/SPS/GEN/67
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8. Assurance thatrecords ofthenumber ofinvestigations aremaintained foratleastseven years
andthathistological slides examined since1990areavailable forre-examination byveterinary
experts (Article 3.2.13.1. point 5-IAHC/OIE)
Yes.
9. Inquiries
Forfurther information please call,(55-61) 2182735
Fax(55-61) 3235936 -E-mail: dsanimal@tba.com.br
10. Name ofthecompetent official veterinary
Aluísio Berbert Sathler -Diretor doDepartamento deDefesa Animal
11. Place anddate
Brasilia, DF,November 1997
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