Brazil's first suspected case of CJD sounds alarm bells

Health officials in Campinas, in Sao Paulo state are investigating a possible case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease, which would be the first ever in Brazil, which leads the world in beef exports, valued at $4.12 billion. Brazilian health officials said however that the case was likely not caused by eating beef  with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). “The occurrence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob from beef consumption is highly unlikely” Jose Saraiva, health secretary for the city of Campinas said. “This possibility has almost been ruled out.” 

A  possible case of Creutzfeld-Jacob disease is being watched carefully in Chile.