Amid growing controversy over the safety of U.S. beef and Koreans’ supposed genetic predisposition to “human mad cow disease,” the nation’s largest medical doctors’ group yesterday warned against jumping to the conclusion that Koreans are more vulnerable to the fatal illness.
The Korean Medical Association issued a statement yesterday that arguments fueling public uneasiness and confusion about mad cow disease that have spread via the Internet and other media are not scientifically verified. The association said it wanted to provide accurate medical information to alleviate concerns.
Noting that humans can contract the fatal disease by eating infected beef, the association said, “Not all people who have eaten infected beef will develop the human form of mad cow disease.” The association said the incubation period could span decades, and it is premature to make conclusions about a link between consuming infected beef and contracting human mad cow disease.
“Bovine spongiform encephalopathy [BSE], commonly known as mad cow disease, is a disease in cattle,” the association said, explaining that it is thought to be caused by a specific type of misfolded protein called a prion.
“Prion-caused diseases can be observed among cattle and other mammals, including humans,” the association said. “The most representative prion-caused disease for humans is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and there have been known cases in Korea. It is, however, different from the human form of mad cow disease, or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.”
Addressing the widespread concern that Koreans are more vulnerable to the disease, the Korean Medical Association said it is too early to make that conclusion.
“There was a report that the MM genotype, a specific genetic background of the prion protein gene, is more present among Koreans than Westerners. It is also true that many of the human mad cow disease patients have the MM genotype,” the association said. “However, we cannot conclude that Koreans are at particularly high risk to human mad cow disease unless genetic research is conducted among the masses to evaluate the relative odd ratio.”
The Korean scientist whose research paper has fueled the debate over the safety of U.S. beef also said yesterday that Koreans shouldn’t draw a hasty conclusion that they are particularly vulnerable to the disease.
“Genetics is a factor, but we cannot come to the conclusion that genes alone can determine the cause of disease,” Kim Yong-seon, a professor of medicine at Hallym University, said yesterday. “It will take more time. A comparative study is also necessary.”
Kim published a paper titled “Polymorphisms of the prion protein gene in a Korean population” in May 2004. According to his analysis of 529 healthy Koreans, 94 percent had the MM genotype.
About 40 percent of the U.S. or British populations had the genotype, and a current affairs program aired by MBC in late April argued for the Korean genetic predisposition to the disease.
“Just because 94 percent of Koreans have MM genotype, it is too dangerous to talk about risk,” Kim said.
While those protesting the resumption of all U.S. beef imports to Korea have cited Kim’s research to back their argument, others supporting imports said such an interpretation is a stretch. “I am very perplexed by the situation,” Kim said.
A mass anti-U.S. beef rally was organized by civic groups and liberal political parties yesterday. More than 10,000 people participated in the protest near Chenggye Stream in downtown Seoul.
Meanwhile, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union said yesterday that it will seek cooperation from schools not to use U.S. beef for students’ cafeteria meals.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said each school’s operation committee, which includes parents, has the right to select ingredients for school meals.
“Taking into account the recent uproar, not that many parents will choose U.S. beef,” a high school headmaster in Seoul said on condition of anonymity.
According to the Seoul education office, not a single school used U.S. beef during the first half of last year, when imports to Korea momentarily resumed.
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