Please note: This publication has been rescinded
In December 2000 the Government invited the National Health and Medical Research Council to establish a Special Expert Committee on Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (SECTSE). The Committee provides the government with independent specialist scientific advice on all matters necessary to prevent and limit the spread of TSEs in Australia.
Synopsis
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) belong to the group of animal and human diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The combined events of an outbreak of BSE in the UK, and the discovery that BSE could be transmitted to humans in the form of vCJD, an invariably fatal disease, lead to worldwide concern.
There have been no cases of vCJD reported in Australia, nor have there been any cases of BSE in Australian cattle, but there is no room for complacency, and Australia responded to these developments by undertaking a whole-ofgovernment, rigorous examination of its policies and preparedness to deal with potential cases of both BSE and vCJD. In September 2001 a case of BSE was reported in Japan, underscoring the need for a global approach to TSEs, and the need for sound policies underpinned by science.
