BSE 'cause of death'

A leading scientist who believes Mad Cow Disease can be passed on to humans said last night the human form of the illness had claimed the life of a 20-year-old man.

Peter Hall, of Chester-Le-Street, Co Durham, died last week just days before his 21st birthday after being ill for two years.

Dr Harash Narang, a clinical virologist formerly with the public health laboratory service, said last night Mr Hall had died from Creutzfeldt- Jakob Disease, while Mr Hall's parents, Derek and Frances Hall, called for more tests to be carried out.

The official Government view is that Mad Cow Disease - or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) - cannot be transmitted to humans.