Milk-Loving Moms Not Cowed by Cattle Fears

[Guest guest]

NY Post

 

http://www.nypostonline.com/news/regionalnews/27479.htm

 

MILK-LOVING MOMS NOT COWED BY CATTLE FEARS

Tuesday,March 27,2001

 

By RITA DELFINER and IKIMULISA SOCKWELL-MASON

 

 

--

 

 

UDDERLY YUMMY:

 

Cheryl Fleming (left) knows about the mad-cow scare

but says she still feels safe letting son Grant, 5,

slurp his favorite drink.

 

 

- NYP: Don Halasy

 

Wary New York moms are drinking in all the scary news

on mad-cow and foot-and-mouth diseases wiping out

livestock in Europe - but say milk's still the white

stuff for their kids.

Andreia Davies, 25, of Manhattan, whose 20-month-old

son, Lorenzo, drinks plenty of milk, said she hadn't

even considered that it might be a problem.

 

" I'll probably research it and watch the news more and

start thinking about alternatives, " she said. " I don't

think I should be alarmed yet. "

 

Jessica Chittenden, a spokeswoman for the New York

state Department of Agriculture and Markets, said

people cannot get the human form of mad-cow disease by

drinking milk - and besides, there have been no

reported cases of thedisease in the United States to

date.

 

As for foot-and-mouth, " there is no human health risk

whatsoever, " she said.

 

" People need to realize their food supply is safe in

New York, " Chittenden added. Nancy Chui, 43, of

Alberta, Canada, said she has faith in the safety

measures taken in North America. " I do have concerns, "

she said as her young daughter, Jane, gulped down

chocolate milk. " And I'm of an age group that needs

more milk. It's part of our regular diet. "

 

Cheryl Fleming, a mother of two young boys, has

already explored the possibilities - and come down on

milk's side.

 

" Mad cow is a disease of the tissue, " she said. " So

I'm not worried about milk, and it's also

pasteurized. "

 

She added that, " foot-and-mouth, as far as I know, is

not a danger to humans. "

 

And that's a good thing, because both her kids -

Grant, 5, and Robert, 7 - can't get enough milk. " I

like milk, especially with chocolate, " Robert said.

 

Dr. Dennis Murray, a pediatric infectious-disease

expert at Michigan State University, said moms have

more important things to worry about when it comes to

their children's health.

 

" I'm more concerned about mothers feeding their kids

stuff that is not pasteurized or cooked completely, "

he said.

 

" We get a lot of salmonella problems in this country

from eating raw eggs or using a knife that has been

used on raw poultry. "