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Transcript
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.”