WRITTEN QUESTION E-2764/97 by Irene Soltwedel-Schäfer (V) to the Commission (1 September 1997)

Subject: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)

1. A large number of cases of CJD are not being detected, because progressive dementia is a required diagnostic criterion but may be absent. What steps has the Commission taken to correct epidemiological data falsified by this fact?

2. How far have efforts been made to ensure that the proportion of infected or diseased BSE cattle among outwardly (i.e. apparently) healthy animals is identified in the current slaughter programmes in the UK and Germany? There is a need for this kind of overview, to show the actual incidence of infected animals and deduce from it possible NV-CJD cases in humans, particularly since, in view of the long incubation period, we should assume that the usual criteria for BSE will not be positive if the animal is slaughtered before its third year, even when it is carrying the infectious pathogen. Collaboration with the Swiss in this area would be extremely helpful.

3. How does the Commission view the potential epidemiological development of SE/NV-CJD, on the premise that the incubation period is (inversely!) proportionate to the number of infectious particles, and bearing in mind that the various tissues of infected cattle contain different quantities of infectious material (for instance, the muscle fibre preferred for human consumption, which contains rather small quantities of infectious particles, is thus likely to involve very long incubation periods)?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (6 October 1997)

1. The Honourable Member refers to data concerning undetected cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). The Commission has taken the initiative of asking each Member State to provide its data on the recorded cases of CJD on a half-yearly basis from 1996 onwards. It is aware that this disease has an incubation period of several years and that the clinical signs take several months or even years to develop. The national health authorities notify the cases on the basis of the actually recorded (confirmed or probable) cases in each Member State. Moreover, the definition of a confirmed or probable case was provided under the first research programme funded under the Biomed 1 Programme. The Commission refers to these definitions when it carries out surveys. Lastly, the cooperation between the Member States on the monitoring of CJD has been extended under the second call for proposals for the Biomed 2 Programme.

2. As regards cattle which do not show any apparent neurological signs, no diagnostic test is currently available or has been approved. However, the Commission is taking a close interest in all the specific studies for the development of reliable tests, both in slaughter programmes and among livestock.

3. The Honourable Member's question refers to concepts of a dose-effect relationship and to precise knowledge about the transmissible agent, which the scientific community does not yet have. The Commission has made a particular effort to ensure that these questions, among others, are dealt with in the specific call for proposals on spongiform encephalopathies ((OJ C 134, 29.4.1997. )). A special effort will be made in this call for proposals to ensure that all the aspects of this problem relating to the evaluation and notification of the risk are studied in order to make it possible for European citizens, of whom the Honourable Member is a representative, to have access to precise, reliable information.