§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of cats suffering from spongiform encephalopathies have been reported to his Department in each of the last five years; and what research his Department has evaluated relating to future trends in the incidence of such diseases. [28590]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe following table shows the numbers of cases of feline spongiform encephalopathy recorded in the United Kingdom until 8 May 1996:
378W
Number of case 1990 13 1991 12 1992 10 1993 11 1994 16
Number of cases 1995 8 1996 1 Epidemiological studies are in progress but are incomplete. With the exception of one cat thought to be born in October 1990, none of the cases of feline spongiform encephalopathy confirmed in the United Kingdom are believed to have been born after the ban, in September 1990, on the use of specified bovine offals in animal feed.
These investigations are complicated by the difficulty in obtaining lifetime feeding and breeding histories for cats. This makes predicting the future trends difficult, although, at present, the shape of the epidemic appears to be similar to that of BSE.