The Effects of Mad Cow Disease

In 1986 the first case of the Mad Cow Disease was reported, however it had no name and its cause was a mystery. The symptoms usually show in cows after years of actually having the disease. The infection originated in the U.K. The Mad Cow Disease causes many different effects on the human and animal bodies.

What causes the Mad Cow Disease? The FDA states in the article entitled “All about BSE that “Mad Cow Disease is caused by an abnormal prion protein in their head and it doesn't affect the animal until later in its life (FDA 2014) The FDA’s statement is important because it shows that an affected cow could transmit the disease even when the farm owner has no knowledge the cow is infected. This is important because people could be infected and wouldn't even notice.

How do people get infected? National Archives states in the article entitled “The BSE Inquiry” “The disease is transmitted through eating infected cow’s meat. This is also how other cows can get infected” (National Archives 2000). This quote is stating that the people get this disease because of infected cows. This shows that meat producers don’t care about the quality of their meat.

How many cows are affected per year? The CDC states in the article entitled “About BSE” that “1 case was reported in 2015 so far, the most was 6 in North America in 2006” (CDC 2015). This means that the number is low; however it can affect many other cows or people alike. This is very important because it shows that it is a rare disease however it is still fatal. As one can see the disease is caused by a prion in the head and affects the central nervous system.

Also one can see that it was discovered in 1986 but wasn't given a name until later. The disease is a big concern to people because with just 3 months into the year we already have a case of BSE and this one cow can affect many people because everyone who eats the infected meat. This is very important because if more people know about the disease we can prevent other people.

                                                                 Reference
About BSE.( 02/19/15) CDC.Gov Retrieved on 3/11/15 from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/bse/

All About BSE. ( 11/18/ 14) FDA.Gov Retrieved on 3/5/15 from http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/AnimalHealthLiteracy/ucm136222.htm

The BSE Inquiry. (2000) National Archives.gov.uk Retrieved on 3/10/15 from http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090505194948/http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/report/index.htm