Japan Confirms 26th Case Of `Mad Cow' Disease
TOKYO (AP)--Japan confirmed its 26th case of "mad cow" disease in a 5-year and 8-month-old Holstein, the agriculture ministry said Saturday, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency. Meat inspectors in Hokkaido prefecture (state) in northern Japan found Thursday that a dairy cow tested positive for the disease, the ministry said in a statement.
A panel of Agricultural Ministry experts confirmed the infection Saturday, according to ministry official Akiko Suzuki. Japan, which conducts mad cow tests on all cattle killed for meat, has confirmed 26 cases since 2001.