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Woman on ‘PD Diary’
did not die of mad cow
Seoul prosecutors investigating a controversial episode of MBC’s “PD
Diary” said an American woman who was reported as having died of a human
form of mad cow disease actually died of an illness not caused by eating
beef.
The segment aired last April and dealt with the dangers of contracting
mad cow disease from U.S. beef. The investigators are looking into whether
MBC deliberately exaggerated the risks.An investigator at the Seoul
Central District Prosecutors’ Office said he had obtained information
from U.S. health officials confirming the cause of death of Aretha
Vinson.
The controversial episode suggested Vinson might have died from a human
variant of mad cow disease, or vCJD. Instead, the Seoul prosecutor found
the actual cause was a syndrome called Wernicke’s encephalopathy. It is a
brain disease caused by a vitamin B1 deficiency, not beef consumption.
The episode triggered months of candlelight vigils and protests demanding
the Korean government renegotiate a deal on beef imports from the United
States. The two sides eventually agreed on additional safeguards. A
prosecution investigator said a translated transcript of the interview
with Vinson’s mother showed a lengthy description of Aretha’s pains after
gastrectomy, including dizziness and vomiting. It was after hearing the
details, according to the investigator, that an MBC producer asked Robin
if her daughter had traveled out of the United States or if she liked
beef.
In March, prosecutors arrested a PD Diary producer accused of
exaggerating mad cow disease risk of from U.S. beef.
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