Mad Cow Disease (MCD)

Medical name for MCD = bovine spongiform encephalopathy(BSE)

Symptoms of MCD on cow

an incurable, fatal brain disease that affects cattle and some other animals, such as goats.

It affects a cow's nervous system, causing a cow to act strangely and lose control of its ability to do normal things, such as walk.

Symptom of MCD on human

people who eat beef from cows that have BSE are at risk of developing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) which is a rare brain condition that affects people.

When people have vCJD, cells in the brain die until the brain eventually has a "sponge-like" appearance. During this time, people with the disease lose control of their mental and physical capabilities.

Statistics of MCD

By October 2009, 217 cases reported worldwide. Mostly in Britain.

How it spread and prevention

The disease will not spread from person to person unless eaten contaminated meat.

The type of protein that causes MCD cannot be removed or destroyed when beef is processed or cooked. to prevent: remove the parts of the cow that are at highest risk of containing BSE causing proteins such as the brain and spinal cord to reduce the chances of them contaminating the meat people eat.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/infections/bacterial_viral/mad_cow_disease.html

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