Ten cases of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) have been confirmed by Department of Agriculture veterinary officers this month. This is twice as many as in February last year.
Last month's total of 14 was one more than in the same month last year. A total of 95 cattle with BSE were recorded in 1999, the highest yearly figure since the disease was first identified here in 1989. In the last 10 years there have been 471 cases.
In 1996 British officials made a possible link between BSE and CJD in humans. Before that fewer than 20 cases a year were being reported in Ireland but in 1996 the number of confirmed cases rose to 74. The following year there were 80 cases and in 1998 there were 83 cases.
The February cases were found in two herds in Co Cavan and there was a single case in herds in counties Laois, Tipperary, Clare, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Westmeath and Mayo.
Five of the infected animals were in dairy herds and the remaining cases in suckler herds which produce beef. The largest herd involved was in Wicklow, where there were 203 animals.
A Department of Agriculture and Food spokesman said one of the cows was eight years old, another was seven, three more cases were six-year-olds, five were four-year-olds and one animal was more than four, but its age was not known.
The spokesman said it was very positive that none of the cattle was under four, as regulations were further tightened in 1996 to prevent any contamination of cattle feed which is thought to be the cause of the disease.
The spokesman said the Irish infection rate was very low, given that there are nearly 7.5 million cattle in the State.