Veterinarians suspect 10th case of mad cow disease in Czech Rep

Czech veterinarians say they may have uncovered the 10th case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease, in the Czech Republic. A six and a half-year-old specimen in East Bohemia may have the disease; according to State Veterinary Administration head Josef Holejsovsky the results of control tests could be made public next Tuesday. On Fridayspokesman Josef Duben said vets had banned the movement of any animals from the farm under suspicion, a number of animals are now to be slaughtered as a preventive step. Altogether, some 1,600 cows have been slaughtered in relation to the nine BSE cases detected to date. The first Czech BSE case was detected in June 2001.