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Abstract
It is more than a decade since scientists in the UK put forward evidence of a link between the emergence of a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) in humans, and a diminishing epidemic of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or BSE, in cattle. In the wake of this anniversary, the paper revisits two scientific narratives of risk, forged at different points along the developmental pathway of BSE science, including a series of advisory reports provided to the UK government between 1989 and 1994, and a symposium held in 2001 to assess the impact of the Phillips Inquiry. While the primary pathology of BSE became apparent relatively early on, uncertainties remain about the origins of BSE and its human variant, vCJD. The paper examines the handling of this sensitivity, and its communication, within these key documents, noting changes in patterns of uncertainty construction over time.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank our reviewers for their detailed comments on an earlier draft of this paper.
Notes
1. The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) continues to advise DEFRA on matters related to BSE, sCJD and vCJD.
2. See: National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit, published figures for May 9, 2007. A total of 894 deaths have been attributed to sCJD in the UK since 1990. CJD Statistics, http://www.cjd.ed.ac.uk/figures.htm