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Brian Gelbach Mad Cow Disease May 4, 2012 Mad Cow Disease is a fatal brain disease. Its real name is bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), but its more popular name is “Mad Cow Disease.” This disease affects mostly cattle, hence its name. It also can affect other animals, such as goats and sheep. It is also caused by prions. Cows get Mad Cow Disease from eating infected grain. Mad Cow Disease causes irregular movements and the loss of the ability to walk correctly, through the nervous system. Humans do not get Mad Cow Disease, but it affects cows. However, there may be a link between Mad Cow Disease and a disease humans can get, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). If a human eats beef from a cow that has been infected with Mad cow Disease, they may contract vCJD. You cannot get vCJD through touching, as it is not contagious. But there is not much worry because, as of October 2009, only 217 cases of vCJD have been diagnosed. Prevention of getting vCJD is very important. Even though once the beef is infected and there is no way to remove it, the government is still working hard. Meat processing plants have been set up for the purpose of removing the most likely parts of the cow that could be infected, like the brain that could infect other parts of the cow that people eat. The best thong people can do to prevent themselves from getting vCJD is to not eat meat from an unknown source and just be more cautious when consuming beef. Brian Gelbach Mad Cow Disease May 4, 2012 Page 2 Works Cited Helmenstine, Anne Marie. "Mad Cow Disease." About.com. 4 May 2012 <chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa122703a.htm>. Hirsch, Larissa. "Mad Cow Disease." May 2010. TeensHealth. 4 May 2012 <kidshealth.org/teen/infections/bacteria_viral/mad_cow_disease.html#>.