CJD alarm in New Zealand

CJD is thought to be contracted by eating BSE-infected beef

A man in New Zealand is suspected of having the human form of mad cow disease, sparking concern in the country's extensive farming community.

The 26-year-old farm worker is now in hospital in Hamilton, north of Wellington, but it will take several weeks to establish whether he is definitely suffering from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), public health director Colin Tukuitonga said on Thursday.

Agriculture officials have been quick to stress that New Zealand's large cattle stock is still free of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).

Variant CJD is believed to be caused by eating beef products made from cattle with BSE.

Even if the man in question is found to have the disease, "that would not reflect on the BSE-free status of New Zealand's livestock," said Derek Belton, director of animal biosecurity.

He said "the logical conclusion" would be that the patient contracted the disease from contaminated food which was imported from Britain before at-risk products were banned in 1996.

Food Safety Authority chief executive Andrew McKenzie also insisted that New Zealand beef presented no risk to consumers.

"The link between BSE and variant CJD was made in 1996, and we put extensive measures in place to protect New Zealanders and our food supply from BSE," he said.

No cases of BSE have yet been recorded in New Zealand, a nation which is heavily reliant on agricultural exports as the mainstay of its economy.

Economists estimate that a BSE scare could reduce New Zealand's export earnings by NZ$3.5 billion (US$2 bn) in two years, knocking more than 5% off the gross domestic product.

But Bank of New Zealand chief economist Tony Alexander said such fears were probably premature.

"There is no smoking gun - there is no diseased animal, "Mr Alexander said.