Biopsy results confirm a young Dublin man has contracted the human form of mad cow disease.

The victim of the disease is a man in his early 20's. In order to protect the privacy of the patient and his family, his identity has not been revealed, and the hospital requested that it not be named in press reports.

Necessary Precautions Taken

Test results apparently have all but ruled out any other possible diagnosis of the young man's condition. "All of the necessary precautions are being taken and the relevant authorities have been updated," the hospital said in a statement. "In the public interest, the hospital reiterates that the patient never received a blood transfusion or made a blood donation, and that the cause of infection is not linked to an operation."

There was one earlier case of vCJD in Ireland, but the young woman who was afflicted had spent much of her time in Britain, where most of the European deaths from the disease have occurred.

Difficult Situation

Ireland's Health Minister, Mary Harney, issued the following statement:

"I have learned with deep regret that the diagnosis of a young male patient in a Dublin hospital confirms that he is suffering from variant CJD.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the patient himself, his family and friends who are attempting to cope with this difficult situation.

"Once again, I would appeal to the media to continue to respect the privacy of the patient and his family at this time, and to thank them for their co-operation in this regard to date."

Controls Rigorous

Irish premier Bertie Ahern expressed confidence in the country's controls on beef production.

“Ireland’s controls to eradicate BSE are deemed to be optimum and stable from 1998 onwards,” he said in a statement.

“We will continue to take all necessary precautions. Both the CJD advisory group and Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) have indicated there should not be public concern for the safety of Irish beef.”