Traduction de «Risque de transmission de l'ESB à l'homme » (Français → Anglais) :

(g) environmental health risks linked to the food chain (chemical, biological and physical), and combined exposures of authorised substances, including impact of local environmental disasters and pollution on the safety of foodstuffs, with emphasis being placed on cumulative risks, transmission routes to human beings, long-term effects and exposure to small doses, as well as the impact on particularly sensitive groups, and especially children.

In its judgement on the validity of the Commission's decision banning the exportation of beef from the United Kingdom to reduce the risk of BSE transmission (Judgements of 5 May 1998, cases C-157/96 and C-180/96), the Court held:

However, it is only since the development, in particular, of mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE) and the establishment of the risk of transmission to humans through the ingestion of infected tissue that the need to speed up research in this sector has become a priority.

The paper also makes a useful summary of the state of knowledge in the key areas. The following is a list of areas considered by the group as worthy of research : - research aimed at establishing whether or not BSE has been transmitted to man; - working on the hypothesis that BSE may be transmissible to man, a number of suggestions are put forward aimed at establishing a risk assessment such as work on determining whether multiple dosing is cumulative and an estimation of the utilisation of offal in different human food products prior to the ban and the consumption of those products by individual age groups and socio-economic criteria; ...[+++] - is there infectivity in BSE-infected cattle derived products other than SBO (Specified Bovine Offal) ?; - further research to establish the precise reason or route for maternal transmission of BSE in some cases; - establish if it is possible that BSE originated as a (rare) spontaneous event in cattle and that the BSE agent is different from the scrapie agent; - can BSE be transmitted orally to pigs ?; - research into the development of diagnostic techniques for BSE and CJD; - establish the efficiency of BSE inactivation procedures used in the food and pharmaceutical industry; - certain areas are suggested for research into developing therapeutic treatment for victims of the CJD disease and also into developing a test which would indicate those people susceptible to the disease; - predictive research is also proposed as it has been shown that CJD occurs rarely in individuals with certain genes.

RESEARCH ON BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES (BSE) AND RELATED HUMAN DISEASES - COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS "WHEREAS the Council, in its Conclusions of 14 May 1996, stated that the issue of TSEs (transmissible spongiform encephalopathies) constitutes a problem in the field of public health and considered it necessary that all appropriate measures be taken to eliminate the risk of possible transmission of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), WHEREAS only scientific research can provide rational, valid answers to the numerous questions thi ...[+++]s pathology continues to pose, and guide governments on the decisions they will have to take, WHEREAS cooperation at Community level between national research teams can bring about real progress in knowledge in this area, and the Community dimension can consolidate the various methodologies, contribute to the use of harmonized criteria and facilitate a wider multi-disciplinary approach, The Council: - CONSIDERS it necessary that cooperation and coordination of research efforts and exchange of information in this field be significantly improved and CALLS UPON the Commission to take the necessary measures to this end; - INVITES the Commission to continue to provide updated information on the research efforts undertaken under the fourth framework programme and, in particular, to give an account of recent calls for proposals concerning bovine transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and possible links with neuro-degenerative diseases in humans; - CALLS UPON the Commission to reinforce its research activities on topics in this field, - covering both basic and applied biology and human and animal health aspects, as well as diagnostic aspects, - in particular within the LIFE SCIENCES programmes; - AGREES to reexamine this question at the next meeting of the Research Council (5 December 96) on the basis of a communication from the Commission, taking into account ongoing research activities, including work underway and planned in Member Stat ...

The Governments of the Member States and the European Commission were represented as follows: Belgium: Mr Jacques SANTKIN Minister for Public Health, Environment and Social Integration Denmark: Mr Niels HALD Councillor at the Permanent Representation Germany: Mr Horst SEEHOFER Federal Minister for Health Greece: Mr Dimitrios KREMASTINOS Minister for Health, Social Welfare and Social Security Spain: Mr GUCIERREZ MORLOTE General Secretary at the Ministry of Health France: Mr Philippe DOUSTE-BLAZY Minister with special responsibility to the Minister for Social Affairs, Health and Urban Affairs Ireland: Mr John F. COGAN Deputy Permanent Repr ...[+++]esentative Italy: Mr Rocco Antonio CANGELOSI Deputy Permanent Representative Luxembourg: Mr Johny LAHURE Minister for Health Netherlands: Mr Ate OOSTRA Deputy Permanent Representative Portugal: Mr João ABREU Director General at the Ministry of Health United Kingdom: Mr Brian MAWHINNEY Deputy Minister for Health Mr Nicholas SOAMES Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food - + - Commission: Mr Padraig FLYNN Member PREVENTION MEASURES AGAINST THE RISK OF BSE TRANSMISSION TO HUMANS The Council heard the German Minister's presentation on the concern which bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was causing in Germany, and his request for the Commission to examine the possibility of the Community taking additional protective measures.