“In Europe, the Ordinary Takes a Frightening Turn”

Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) (03/01/01) P. A1; Reid, T.R.

Europe has been swept by numerous health scares in recent times.  This year alone, public officials and public opinion have been rattled by alarms over risks proven and unproven from a widely used measles vaccine, mad cow disease, hormone-fed pork and beef, genetically modified corn, cellular phones that reportedly cause brain damage, and narrow airline seats that some say may cause blood clots.  According to Mart Saarma, a biologist at the Helsinki Institute of Biotechnology, the so-called “culture of fear” affecting Europe right now is a carry-over from genuine health problems, a pessimistic strain in the European psyche, anti-Americanism, and trends in environmentalism.  Much of this culture of fear is derived from European’s experience with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which is commonly known as “mad cow” disease.  The epidemic started in the United Kingdom in the 1980s and has now spread to Italy, Germany, and France, killing about 84 people in the process.  Governments hit by the crisis initially tended to insist that everything was alright, but then backtracked on their assurances.  As a result, some Europeans do not trust official pronouncements on these matters.  Fear has now spread to other products and foods, particularly those that are derived from new technologies.  Among the scares has been one surrounding the MMR vaccine, which is used to combat measles, mumps, and rubella.

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