Health authorities announced on Friday that the first known case of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (vCJD) in the US has been discovered in Florida, but officials are insisting that there is no cause for concern amongst US consumers.


The Florida Department of Health (FDH) says that the 22-year-old British woman who has contracted the illness, the human form of mad cow disease, is likely to have done so by eating BSE-contaminated beef in Britain during the 1980s or 1990s before BSE controls were brought in. The department is investigating the case with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP).


“There’s every reason to suspect that she acquired her illness [in Britain],” Dr Steve Ostroff of the CDCP told the Sunday Times: “Although experience with the disease is pretty limited, there is no evidence to suggest that cases are transmitted from person to person.”


John Agwunobi, secretary for the FDH, is meanwhile quoted by Reuters as saying: “We’re actually very confident that this is a case of imported variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease.”


The young woman moved to the US in the early 1990s.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.