10 Interesting Mad Cow Disease Facts

Saturday, June 28th 2014. | Diseases


Mad Cow Disease facts present the information about a transmissible fatal brain disease that you can find on cattle. If human being is infected by mad cow disease, he or she can have variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or vCJD. Here are the surprising facts about mad cow disease for you:

Mad Cow Disease Facts 1: name

Mad cow disease actually is not the official name of this fatal brain disease.  The scientists call it BSE or bovine spongiform encephalopathy. It gains the name because when people see it under the ordinary microscope; they can find sponge like changes on the BSE lesions.

Mad Cow Disease Facts 2: cause

The cause of mad cow disease is the contaminated meat with BSE. It is included not only on the meat but also the dairy products. So you need to be careful when you buy meat and dairy products. Ensure that they are fresh and hygienic.

Mad Cow Disease Facts

Mad Cow Disease Facts

Mad Cow Disease Facts 3: the first discovery

Do you know that the first discovery of mad cow disease was in United Kingdom in 1986? The disease affected at least 180,000 cattle in Britain from 1986 to 2001.

Mad Cow Disease Facts 4: the BSE epidemic

The peak of BSE epidemic was on January 1993. There were 1000 new cases for each week in the country.

Mad Cow Disease Image

Mad Cow Disease Image

Mad Cow Disease Facts 5: British beef

Because of the high cases of BSE in Britain, the European Union banned British beef from 1996 to 1999.  People think that the beef from British was not safe to their health.

Mad Cow Disease Facts 6: the first case of mad cow disease in Canada

The first report of mad cow disease in Canada occurred on 20th May 2003. The report stated that this diseased influenced 8 years old cow in Alberta.

Mad Cow Disease on Cattle

Mad Cow Disease on Cattle

Mad Cow Disease Facts 7: ban of Canadian beef

Because of the mad cow disease in Canada, the beef from this country was banded by South Korea, Mexico, USA, and Japan on 21st May 2003.

Mad Cow Disease Facts 8: the case of mad cow disease in US

The first case of mad cow disease in US occurred on 23 December 2003. The US department of agriculture confirmed the issue. The cow with mad cow disease was found in Washington farm.

Mad Cow Disease Pic

Mad Cow Disease Pic

Mad Cow Disease Facts 9: US beef

Then the US beef was banned by some countries like South Korea, China and Japan. Check another dangerous disease in Lyme disease facts.

Mad Cow Disease Facts 10: Charlene Singh

Charlene Singh was the patient who was infected with mad cow disease and developed variant Creutzfeldt – Jakob disease. She was the first person to know living in USA with that disease. On 20 June 2004, she died.

Mad Cow Disease

Mad Cow Disease

Another person passed away because of mad cow disease was Antonio Ruiz Villaescusa on 28 March 2009. This Spanish man worked a mad cow research pathologist. Do you want to comment on facts about mad cow disease?


tags: ,