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Halting Mad Cow Disease Hysteria
If you had to choose between having Mad Cow Disease or becoming the top scientist in
your field, which would you choose? The answer is obvious. Most realize that Mad Cow
Disease, i.e. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a fatal disease that has been present among
cattle populations in Europe over the past couple decades. In BSE, brain cells begin to die,
forming sponge-like holes in the cow’s brain tissue. Evidence shows that consumption of
infected cattle could correspond with the contraction of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a
similar disease in humans. Although few people have been diagnosed with CJD worldwide, they
remain fearful of showing symptoms of CJD; commonly resulting in death within a year. For
this reason, many Americans panicked when becoming aware that the first case of BSE was
discovered in the United States in December of 2003. Unfortunately, the media is quick to show
infected cows, distempered and shaking in their stalls, without giving sufficient information of
the disease’s origin or the preventative measures being taken to halt its spreading. Before
consumers restrict beef intake from their diets they should consider their risks. In America,
chances of developing BSE is far slimmer than becoming infected with other food-borne
illnesses. Although many Americans were recently startled by a reported case of Mad Cow
Disease in the United States, they are assured protection from infection by: consumption of
selected meats, closely guarded packaging plants, and regulation in beef imports.
To fully understand the spreading of BSE, one must first know the diseases origin. The
cause of the disease is not official, but three theories are considered. The first involves the cow’s
consumption of scrapie-infected byproduct of sheep. Scrapie, like BSE, is a transmissible
spongiform encephelopathy, forming sponge-like holes in the brain. During the slaughter
process, meat-and-bone meal is created as a protein supplement for cattle feed. Should scrapie
be present in the animal remnants consumed by cattle, BSE could form. The second theory
concludes genetic mutation of the PrP gene. In this conjecture, the mutation is inherited; spread
by a single infected cow. Finally, and most likely, a single unprompted gene transforms from
PrP to PrPSc. When this protein, PrP, becomes abnormally shaped, it ceases to be destroyed.
Accumulation of the mutated genes cause brain dysfunction and death. This mutated protein,
however, is not proven to spread through cattle’s meat. Knowing the most likely of all origins
does not affect meat of cattle should secure consumers of beef safety. Stripping one’s diet of
beef is highly unnecessary. To contract the disease, one must digest either the spinal cord or
brain tissue of infected bovine. Most Americans, contented with steaks and McDonald’s
hamburger, scrunch their faces in disgust at thoughts of tasting cow brains or spinal cords. This
disease poses greater threats to European countries who find such body parts as delicacies.
Therefore, consumers can ultimately protect themselves from contracting BSE by ejecting
bovine spinal cords and brain tissue from their diets.
To further protect Americans from consuming contaminated cattle, the packaging
plants are under strict regulation. First of all, cattle produced for market purposes are under a
surveillance program, part of the government’s “multiple firewall” approach to prevent BSE.
Currently, the FDA is making it their responsibility to survey herds and packaging plants. These
plants must comply to the inspection of their facilities as well as their produce of human food
and animal feed. Carcasses must be carefully handled, separating meat from spinal cord and
brain tissue of the cows. Before being slaughtered, all animals are inspected for any signs of
neurological disorders, part of the surveillance program. Should the inspectors become
suspicious of cattle, the cattle are condemned for human consumption. The brain of such
specimens are sent to the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory for examination. Over
the past eleven years, 21,000 cows have been tested for mad cow disease. Only once, last
December, was a cow reported to be contaminated. Immediately, the entire herd was
quarantined. Many people called the distributing company of possibly infected meat they had
eaten. Resulting, however, were no cases of the disease. Again, only contaminated brain or
spinal tissues have the slight chance of harming humans. Since the slaughtering process is so
highly guarded, a mix of contaminated tissues into the meat is very rare. The protection, from
this point, will be increasing, however, due to the recent case of BSE in America. The FDA has
been allocated another 13 million dollars to promote the education of packaging plants and cattle
producers on preventing mad cow disease. Along with that, more jobs have been created to
survey cattle both on farms and at slaughtering houses. The United States cattle are once again
BSE-free. Should another case spontaneously arise, all necessary actions will be taken, just as
they were last December.
Observing the destruction of beef markets overseas, Americans felt protection against
mad cow disease necessary. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) restricts
any importation of ruminants or the byproduct of ruminants that derives from countries known to
have infected animals. This, in fact, is another aspect of the government’s “multiple firewall” in
protecting the United States from mad cow disease. Halting the entrance of ruminants from
countries known to have BSE is very important. This greatly reduces the chance that cattle will
be fed the protein byproducts of ruminants with infectious neurological disorders. Some people
consider the number one reason for spreading mad cow disease in a herd is due to the cows’
consumption of similar protein byproducts. Avoiding infected sheep prevents diseased cattle.
Should, however, BSE develop from cattle consuming sheep infected with scrapies, the United
States has again taken safety measures. Sheep with this disease are not to be sent to slaughter.
Besides, the ratio of sheep to cattle varies that of the United Kingdom, creating less reason to
worry. In the United States, cattle outnumber sheep ten to one. In the United Kingdom,
however, sheep outnumber cattle three to one. In America, rules are also created to limit
ruminant byproducts in cattle feed, further reducing the chance of spontaneous appearance of
mad cow disease. These rules to restrict proteins in animal feed were made and are enforced by
the FDA. Most importantly, American borders are carefully protected from accepting
contaminated cattle as well as ruminants capable of spreading deadly neurological diseases.
Understandably, consumers of American beef are concerned about risks of contracting
Mad Cow Disease. The discovered cow in December of 2003 was a shock to the beef industry
and its faithful consumers. Thankfully, this country was prepared for such an occurrence. Any
cattle that were possibly infected, though likely weren’t, were immediately disposed of. To this
very moment, the people of this country are being guarded from the chance of BSE entering the
U.S. borders. The government, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the FDA are
creating all possible solutions to prevent this fatal disease with a “multiple firewall” plan and
increased monetary resources. No ruminant animal from a country with BSE history is allowed
to be imported. Cows suspicious of having contracted the disease are never used for
consumption, rather for laboratory study. Hundreds of cattle brains are tested annually, with
only one case confirming BSE. Cows that are slaughtered are carefully processed, keeping the
nervous tissues out of the meats contact. Finally, families who eat spinal or nervous tissue of
cows can greatly reduce their risks of developing mad cow disease by not purchasing such items.
The beef industry is willingly under surveillance, making all attempts to produce safe and
healthy products. American residents should be assured that all necessary precautions have been
taken to keep Mad Cow Disease out of the United States and consumer-friendly beef on market
shelves. An excerpt from the FDA Consumer Magazine leaves the nation with this very
“important message from both the Harvard and GAO studies. . . We must continue to work hard
to make a good system even better. The FDA and the states will continue their aggressive
inspection program and will continue to work closely with all components of the cattle and feed
communities to help make a, thankfully, low public risk even lower.”