BBC News Online: World: Asia-Pacific

First case of BSE in Thailand

The first cases of the human variant of mad cow disease have been identified in Thailand.

Researchers at Mahidol University said at least two patients had been diagnosed with the illness known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The Thai news agency gave no further details, but the university has arranged a news conference for Monday.

Thailand banned beef imports from Britain five years ago and extended this two weeks ago to cover seven other European countries.

In a separate development, China has announced that cattle fed on meat and bone meal from abroad will be tested for mad cow disease. An agriculture ministry official, quoted by state media, refused to say how many animals were involved, but made clear that the proportion given imported feed was low.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service