Letter : Link between BSE and CJD not proven
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: The article on CJD predictions (26 November) contained a number of inaccurate statements attributed to the CJD Surveillance Unit, including "the peak [of the epidemic] occurring in about seven years' time", "the total number of cases will be in hundreds, rather than thousands", and "the number of cases has doubled in the past two years".
Perhaps more seriously, the article suggests that the calculations "destroy for ever" the assertion that BSE "posed no threat to human health". Mathematical calculations do not constitute evidence for or against a causative link between BSE and CJD.
The work on examining possible future scenarios is continuing and it is disappointing that comments should be made about work that is not yet complete, let alone published.
Dr R G WILL
Consultant Neurologist
S COUSENS
Senior Lecturer
National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit
Edinburgh
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments