There are CJD cases in our country among young adults,26 but at this writing they are not thought to be directly related to mad cow disease. However, the symptoms are not unlike the British form of CJD. It is always fatal, and is especially heart wrenching when family members watch such a young victim die. The symptoms are listed in Figure 7: Progression of Symptoms of CJD in Cases in the U.S..27, 28 The disease typically begins with mild symptoms that advance within a few weeks. The disease can then progress to the point where the patient can no longer function alone.
Almost Two Million Infected Cattle Eaten by the Year 2001
As tragic as the British deaths were, there was an even larger concern. Were we just glimpsing the beginning of a massive new epidemic? Will scores more come down with CJD because of BSE? These answers are not yet known. However, the amount of human exposure is staggering. Drs. Dealler and Kent have stated that by 2001, a conservative estimate of the number of infected cattle eaten by humans will be 1.8 million.29 This huge number represents healthy looking cattle that were incubating BSE at the time of their slaughter for beef purposes.
Mad Cow Disease Not Confined to Britain
Unfortunately, the problem does not appear to be confined to Britain. It has been found in several other countries, as shown in Figure 8: Countries where Prion-Infected Humans and Cows have been Found.30, 31 Over the past three years, CJD showed up in farm workers in France and Italy. Five cases were reported in France and three in Italy.32 Although the United States Department of Agriculture has not found BSE in U.S. cattle, there are questions as to whether it may be present in our country. We will turn our attention to this issue later in the chapter.
