USDA Secretary Mike Johanns announced the results of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) enhanced BSE surveillance program which indicate that the prevalence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is "extraordinarily low".
The enhanced surveillance testing program, began after the finding of the first BSE positive cow in the U.S. in 2003, was designed according to the World Animal Health Organization’s (OIE) guidelines to establish prevalence. The USDA has sampled almost 700,000 high risk animals and has found only 2 additional positives. The statistical analyses of these results indicate that the estimated number of BSE positive cattle in the adult U.S. herd is between 4 and 7 animals. This equates to less than one case per million adult cattle, based on an adult cattle population of 42 million animals.
These findings will be submitted to a panel of independent experts for peer-reviewed analysis and verification. Following this review, the USDA will use the findings to develop a maintenance surveillance program.
Source:
USDA, APHIS
Press release, April 28, 2006