Experts Say Mad Cow Disease Will Spread in the United States

In an article in the New York Post, the newspaper quoted Dr. Rebecca Haley, a chief medical officer at the American Red Cross, as saying that "it is undeniable that it [mad cow disease] will come to the U.S."  No admitted case of Mad Cow disease -- either in humans or cows -- has yet been documented in the United States.  Mad cow disease in humans -- called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) -- has a very long incubation period, but is so far 100% fatal. 
Whether or not CJD can be transmitted through the blood supply is also unclear, but the Red Cross is evidently taking no chances.  It intends to announce soon a ban all imports of blood from Western Europe -- or blood donations from anyone who has traveled to Western Europe.  The fear is that if the blood supply is tainted, CJD could spread from someone who donated blood and was unknowingly infected with the disease, just as happened with AIDS.  The Post also quoted Dr. Tom Pringle, an FDA critic, as accusing the FDA of "half-measured" steps and predicting that there will be "chaos." 
Not everyone agrees on the proposed reaction.  The New York Post also quoted Peter Lurie, an FDA advisory-board member, as saying that the Red Cross is overreacting; but even he favors expanding the current FDA prohibition on blood imports from the U. K. to Portugal, France, and Ireland.