Mad Cow Disease

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that mad cow disease is bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, a fatal brain disorder in cattle caused by a still-unknown agent. The author points out that U.K. reports also listed other animals as having been infected by TSEs, including domestic cats, mice, hamsters, goats, mink, monkeys, pigs, and some exotic species of the cat family. The paper reports that there is also suspicion that mad cow can be spread through human blood; therefore, the American Red Cross bans blood donations from people who have lived abroad, especially from those who spent as few as three months in the UK between 1980 and 1996.

From the Paper:

"The disease spread to cattle in other countries through infected animal feed UK exported to them within that decade. These countries in Europe alone included Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland (Lohn), which were reported to have at least one infected cow each. The UK also supplied animal feed to South Africa and non-European countries at that time, extending the reach Mad Cow beyond Europe and making it a global health scare."

More papers on Mad Cow Disease:

• Essay # 69984 : "U.S. Fast Food and Mad Cow Disease"
• Analytical Essay # 111790 : "Mad Cow Disease"
• Analytical Essay # 111821 : "Mad Cow Disease"
• Essay # 25777 : "Mad Cow Disease: Governmental and Media Culpability"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: