FIRST DEATH IN SPAIN FROM VARIANT

UNCLAS MADRID 002834

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR OES/STC AND EUR/WE; HHS FOR CDC AND NIH; DOA
FOR APHIS AND FSIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO EAGR SP
SUBJECT: FIRST DEATH IN SPAIN FROM VARIANT
CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE



1. The Spanish Health Ministry announced July 29 that the
first known Spanish death from Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease (vCJD) had occurred July 10 in a Madrid hospital.
(Note: vCJD is likely contracted from eating products
originating from animals infected with Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy -- BSE. End Note). The victim was a 26-year
old female Madrid resident who had first shown symptoms in
December 2004 and is believed to have been infected sometime
between 1994-99. While the vCJD diagnosis remains tentative,
pending confirmation from a Scottish laboratory, GOS
authorities felt sufficiently confident of the verdict to
inform the press.


2. Health Ministry Deputy Director General for International
Affairs Jose Perez Lazaro told ESTHOFF August 1 that the
victim had apparently never traveled to the UK or any other
foreign country and had no family history or risk factors
associated with the other three strains of CJD. Perez Lazaro
did note, however, that the victim appears to have worked for
a period in the "animal health" field. Perez Lazaro
underscored the GOS view that the death did not "represent a
current danger," as the victim presumably contracted the
disease prior to the 2001 application of strict, EU-mandated
health controls to curb the spread of the disease in Spain.
That said, given the estimated 5-10 year vCJD incubation
period, the Health Ministry assumed more Spanish deaths from
vCJD were likely. Perez Lazaro said the confirmation from
the Scottish lab should be received by late August.


3. According to Health Ministry figures, 150 people in the
UK, nine in France, two in Ireland, and one each in the U.S.,
Canada, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the Netherlands, and Italy have
died from vCJD. Since the imposition of tighter EU controls
in 2000, 37,007 BSE infected cattle have been detected in the
UK, as compared with 921 in France, 896 in Portugal and 567
in Spain. The first of Spain's 567 infected cattle was
detected in 2000. A total of two cases were detected in
2000, 82 in 2001, 127 in 2002, 167 in 2003, 137 in 2004, and
52 through July 31, 2005.


4. The Health Ministry has offered to provide additional
information on this case to interested U.S. Government
agencies. Should there be interest, please contact ESTHOFF
Ken Forder by EMail at forderk@state.gov.
AGUIRRE