Mad Cow Disease
 Mad cow disease is just one of many transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies, or TSEs. TSEs attack the brain, with symptoms ranging
from dementia to psychosis and paralysis. TSEs are fatal and untreatable.
Can people get mad cow disease?
Evidence shows a relationship between the cattle disease bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, and the human disease
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Experts believe that both mad cow disease
and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are caused by prions-normal protein
molecules that become infectious when folded into abnormal shapes. These
prions are transmitted to humans through the consumption of beef.
Is mad cow disease in the United States?
While approximately 200,000 cases of mad cow have been confirmed in the
United Kingdom, no cases of mad cow have been confirmed in the US. Because
the use of infected cattle tissue in cattle feed was probably responsible
for the outbreak in the United Kingdom and the consumption of beef may
cause the transmission of mad cow to humans, the US Food and Drug
Administration instituted a ruminant feed ban in June 1997. Therefore, it
is very unlikely that mad cow disease will be a food borne hazard in the
United States.
Symptoms of mad cow disease:
Animals affected with mad cow may display nervousness or aggression,
abnormal posture, lack of coordination, decreased milk production or loss
of body weight despite continued appetite. The disease's incubation
period ranges from two to eight years. Following the onset of symptoms,
the animal's condition deteriorates until it dies or is destroyed. This
usually takes from two weeks to six months.
Symptoms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease:
CJD begins subtly with forgetfulness, depression, personality changes,
strange physical sensations and problems with eyesight. It rapidly
progresses to dementia, jerking muscles and blindness before leading
finally to death. The course of the disease usually takes only 4 to 6
months from the onset of symptoms to death.
Reduce your risk
Is it safe to travel to Europe? To reduce the risk of acquiring CJD from food, travelers to Europe
should consider avoiding beef and beef products or selecting solid pieces
of muscle meat that are less likely to be contaminated than beef products
such as burgers and sausages. Milk and milk products from cows are not
believed to pose any risk for transmitting mad cow disease.
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