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Mad Cow Disease: What Are the Risks?

By KRISTEN STERNBERG
NIE EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT

People all over the world are concerned about what's known as "mad cow disease." (The disease started in Great Britain, where many people use the term "mad" to mean "crazy.") Mad cow affects the brain, and not only causes cattle to act crazily but has even been transmitted to some humans who ate infected cows. The disease is always fatal and has killed almost one hundred people in Europe. Will it become our newest epidemic?

Scientists are conducting experiments into prevention and cure for mad cow disease, the scientific name for which is "bovine spongiform encephalopathy." You might translate that to "spongy brain condition in cows."

In panicked efforts to prevent the disease from spreading, millions of cattle have been destroyed and various bans or restrictions on beef and its by-products are in effect. While fear brings consumption down, this also raises the cost of beef in some areas.

Until the disease is under control, many countries are learning to deal with the changes in lifestyle that restrictions have brought about. How far-reaching are these changes?

So far in the United States, no human deaths have been directly linked to mad cow. There is fear, however, that it will spread beyond Europe and infect many more people. In fact, the United States has already had some cases of the disease, though not the mass slaughter of animals that occured in Europe a few years ago. (Its human form is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, after two scientists who originally described the condition.) Beef by-products are used in many goods available in the U.S., including some herbal supplements. Scientists are investigating the possibility of a loophole through which infected products might slip into the country.

Variants of mad cow disease occur in animals other than cattle. In sheep, the disease is called "scrapie." While scrapie has been found in the U.S., the disease can't be passed on to humans. Still, when an outbreak occurs extreme measures are taken to control it. In Vermont, almost four hundred sheep were slaughtered when a few sheep from the two flocks were tested and found to be diseased.

Some feel the world has become too dependent on mass production of livestock. Mad cow and scrapie are diseases that came about when humans introduced animals' entrails as a food supplement for other animals. What's your opinion about this issue?

Try these fun activities using The News-Journal!

1. Raising cattle is one type of agriculture, as are growing oranges or corn, for example. How important is agriculture to Florida's economy? Scan your newspaper to find and read articles relating to local agriculture. How many articles did you find? How many different crops (including animals) did you locate? Draw a picture of each, and label it either "animal" or "vegetable." Can you draw any conclusions about the importance of agriculture in your area? (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.5, LA.B.2.2.6, MA.D.1.2.1, SC.G.1.2.1, SC.G.1.2.5, SC.G.2.2.3)



2. Using your newspaper and other reference materials, find several stocks or commodities you believe will be affected by the mad cow epidemic. Try to predict whether your choices will gain or lose value in the near future. Follow the stocks over a short period of time, drawing a chart to show the path each of your selections took. Then, write a short statement describing whether or not your predictions were accurate‹and why or why not, if possible. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.8, MA.E.1.2.1, MA.E.2.2.2, SC.H.3.2.2, SS.A.1.2.1)



3. Check out the editorial cartoons in your newspaper to use as models for this exercise. If you can, take a look also at a web site containing political cartoons on this topic. Then, draw an original editorial cartoon showing your views about mad cow disease. Share your creation with a classmate, friend or available adult. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.5, LA.D.2.2.3, LA.D.2.2.5)



4. Mad cow disease, it is widely believed, came about after cattle were fed supplements that contained parts of animals, such as sheep. Search your newspaper to read and clip examples of other ways that people have altered, or are experimenting with, food production. On a large sheet of paper, draw and label a food pyramid. Paste the examples you clipped onto appropriate sections of your food pyramid. If you found at least one example for every section in the food pyramid, you're amazing! (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.5, MA.E.1.2.1, SC.B.2.2.1, SC.G.1.2.5)

5. While reading The News-Journal articles above, you learned some of the many economic effects mad cow disease is causing. Now, turn to your newspaper's Classified section to find and list jobs or occupations you think might be affected by mad cow disease. For each job you listed, write one sentence showing how that job and mad cow disease might be connected. (Here is one example: Job occupation: Travel agent. Possible connection: Fewer people traveling to areas affected by mad cow means sales down, commissions down.) Stretch your imagination, and have fun! (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.5, LA.B.1.2.1, LA.B.2.2.1, LA.B.2.2.6)

A copy of Florida's Sunshine State Standards can be found at intech2000.miamisci.org.

Check out these links to learn more:

Above, you looked at articles about mad cow disease (found in cows, of course) and one variant, called scrapie (found in sheep). Did you know that variants of mad cow disease have shown up in other animals? Find out about the dangers to deer, elk, mink and even humans at this fascinating web site from the Why Files.

Visit the organic consumers web site to learn the latest news from a variety of sources.

While mad cow disease is not currently present in the United States, sometimes other problems can occur from how we handle and prepare the foods we eat. Check out this web site to learn all about beef safety. While you're there, be sure to see "Kids' Burgertown" for some fun activities, and follow the link to the Newsroom for the latest information on mad cow disease.

At a web site maintained by Science Friday, you can hear, in real time, a recent radio program on the topic of mad cow disease. You'll also see photos of how this disease affects a cow's brain.

The American Museum of Natural History offers a web site for you to learn about some other infectious diseases through the fun games and activities posted there.

The Newspaper Association of America's web site contains links to many newspapers in the U.S. and around the world. Visit the site and check out some of them to see if they have recently published any articles on the topic of mad cow disease. (It might be interesting to look at a selection of English-language newspapers in Europe to see if their viewpoints differ from what you have already read.) To access the newspapers at the site, select a state. Click on the "Internationals" button to view choices from other countries.

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