.c The Associated Press
OTTAWA (AP) - Canada’s use of vaccines that carry a
theoretical risk of being contaminated with mad cow disease is worth the tiny
risk it presents, a federal official said Friday.
The admission that such vaccines are used comes at the
same time Canada has banned Brazilian beef over fears that it may be
contaminated with the same disease.
But Health Department spokeswoman Diane Kirkpatrick said
there is no comparison between vaccines that carry a slight theoretical risk
and the Brazilian beef.
That’s because vaccines are necessary for health while
Brazilian beef is not, Kirkpatrick told a briefing.
“You can’t refute the benefits of vaccines,” said
Kirkpatrick. “Those benefits more than outweigh any theoretical risk. It’s a
very different situation when you’re comparing risk with food products.”
Robert Peterson said the risk in using the vaccine has
been calculated at one in 300,000,000, a risk so minuscule that it should not
deter anyone from using it.
Ottawa announced a ban on Brazilian beef last week, citing
a theoretical risk of mad-cow contamination. The move set off a furor in Brazil,
which has no confirmed cases of the disease.
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