Second case of mad cow disease in Austria

A case of mad cow disease has been found in Austria, the second in the Alpine country's history, the health and agriculture ministers said yesterday.

The ministers called a snap news conference to announce the case of the deadly brain-wasting disorder, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

"The reason for this short-notice press conference today is the confirmation of a case of BSE in an Austrian cow," Health Minister Maria Rauch-Kallat told reporters.

Mad cow disease was first identified in Britain in 1986.

Scientists say there is a strong link between humans eating tainted meat and the the risk of catching the disease. More than 100 people have died so far in Europe from the human form of mad cow disease, mostly in Britain.

The disease was found during a routine test on an 11-year-old cow from a small farm of seven cattle near the German border in the western province of Vorarlberg. All seven animals were slaughtered and cremated.