Economic affects of BSE and Hoof and Mouth Disease essays

Economic affects of BSE and Hoof and Mouth Disease essays The United Kingdom and much of Europe have been suffering from the crisis of first Mad Cow Disease and then at beginning of this year, from Foot and Mouth Disease. These calamities have affected their economies and trade with other countries, not to mention the financial burden afflicting farmers. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), more commonly known as Mad Cow Disease, is a degenerative brain disease that affects cattle. The symptoms of BSE include loss of coordination, a staggering gait, difficulty in rising, a decrease in milk production, weight loss and eventually death. Animals that have BSE also present a change in behavior such as nervousness, aggression, and a diminished interest in surroundings. The incubation period is approximately from two to eight years. In November 1986, Mad Cow Disease was first identified and by early 2001 there were more than 180,000 cases in the United Kingdom. Studies suggest that more animals had been infected but most were slaughtered before being diagnosed or symptoms developed. Cases have been confirmed in other countries within Europe, including Denmark, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland. There have also been reports of BSE in Oman, Canada, and the Falkland Islands, however, these cases have been confined to cows imported from Britain. The disease has not been officially established in the United States, yet in March 2001 the American government apprehended around 300 sheep from farms located in Vermont that had been imported from Belgium and The Netherlands. BSE has been linked to a form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) which is a fatal brain disease in humans. Those infected present similar symptoms as the cattle infected. There have been numerous studies since 1996 that have recognized that BSE can be transmitted to humans and cause vCJD. These studies have linked the times and locations of the epidemic i...