Title: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease preventive risk management in the Russian Federation

Authors: Nataliya Karyakina, Shalu Darshan, Daniel Krewski, Michael G. Tyshenko

Addresses: McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, 1 Stewart St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada. ' McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, 1 Stewart St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada. ' 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: To date, Russia has not reported any cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in its own territory. Qualitative self risk assessment indicated that if BSE occurred in the Russian Federation, the economic consequences would be devastating for its agriculture and economy. Preventive measures taken by the Russian Government to anticipate and reduce the probability of BSE occurring in its livestock and to protect public health from vCJD are reviewed in this paper. Evidence-based recommendations focus on strengthening measures to prevent the introduction and spread of prion disease.

Keywords: bovine spongiform encephalopathy; BSE; scrapie; variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; vCJD; Russian Federation; risk management; risk communication; Russia; mad cow disease; variant CJD; risk assessment; prion disease; food safety.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRAM.2010.035246

International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, 2010 Vol.14 No.1/2, pp.61 - 78

Published online: 17 Sep 2010 *

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