The ban was later extended to meat and bone meal from all mammals except where MBM is derived solely from horses, pigs or kangaroos that are not susceptible to natural infections with TSEs. This group will also review Australia's monitoring and surveillance systems for the animals TSEs and general communication of public and animal health implications of BSE for Australia. The Committee has experts on a range of subjects including quarantine and risk analysis, food safety, communicable diseases, blood transfusion, prions and TSE, and neurology. The SRMs for cattle in the UK and affected countries in Europe include the brains, eyes, tonsils, spinal cord, spleen, thymus and the entire intestine from duodenum to rectum. The TGA is to identify any weaknesses in current and former restrictions for the importation of biological materials that may contain TSEs used in the production of therapeutic goods.
Autopsies show microscopic, spongelike lesions or holes in the brain.
Misfolded prions are believed to transmit the disease. In 1996, British scientists found evidence indicating vCJD was the result of human exposure to BSE-contaminated beef. Initial symptoms include forgetfulness, clumsiness, poor eyesight, fatigue and rapid weight loss. These can develop into blindness, inability to swallow, loss of motor skills and dementia. It is difficult to predict the size of the vCJD epidemic in Europe, but on present understanding the final number of people affected might lie between a few hundred and well over a hundred thousand.