Title: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy risk management in Latin America: Costa Rica as a representative country for risk management and policy

Authors: Margaret A. Wilson, Angel Herrera, Daniel Krewski, Michael G. Tyshenko

Addresses: Decision and Risk Consulting Inc., 1831 Yale Ave., Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 6S3, Canada; McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, 1 Stewart St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada. ' Marine Biology Station, Universidad Nacional, Apdo. 126-5400, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. ' McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, 1 Stewart St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada; Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa Ontario, K1H 8M5, Canada. ' McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, 1 Stewart St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada

Abstract: Costa Rica is a representative Latin American country with significant regional cattle production for its size. The country experienced an exceedingly low challenge for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) as evidenced by no direct meat and bone meal imports from the UK, few imported cattle, no specified risk materials imports from high risk countries, and cattle that are entirely grass-fed. In addition, there is little domestic feed recycling or potential for amplification and the country has further improved its tracing of imported cattle. Risk management to control both internal and external BSE risk factors has been implemented in Costa Rica, and it has negligible risk for domestic BSE. Costa Rica has complied with World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) surveillance standards. To date Costa Rica has not reported any cases of either BSE or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

Keywords: bovine spongiform encephalopathy; BSE; risk management; Latin America; Costa Rica; mad cow disease; variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; vCJD; variant CJD; food safety.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRAM.2010.035245

International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, 2010 Vol.14 No.1/2, pp.50 - 60

Published online: 17 Sep 2010 *

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