b'Is Factory Farming making us sick?variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD)Symptoms in animals in people - a disease with a 100 per centBSE is a neurological condition that causes mortality rate. a spongy degeneration in the brains of cows. Infected animals may experience The epidemic reached a peak in 2000 withintense agitation or fear and try to hide most reported cases developing throughfrom other cows or people. They may the consumption of contaminated beef. Instartle easily or become aggressive. three cases, the mode of transmission wasThey may experience abnormalities in thought to be through receipt of blood fromtheir posture, such as stiffness or a lack an asymptomatic, infected donor 36 . of coordination, an increase in slipping and falling, and difficulty in rising. There This is not a historic disease 37 . Scientistsmay also be prolonged episodes of nose warn that more cases are still to emerge,licking, snorting, coughing, head tossing even 30 years after the initial outbreak 38 . Itand vigorous head rubbing that can cause has already killed all 178 people infectedlesions 41 .with it in the UK, and it is thought that one in 2,000 Britons could be carriers of theSymptoms in peopledisease 39 .Anxiety and depression are often the first signs in people. Later symptoms Routes of transmission include confusion, memory loss, loss BSE is transmitted between cows throughof coordination and balance, problems the ingestion of BSE prions, not throughwith vision and hearing, muscle paralysis, direct contact with infected animals. Itspeech loss and incontinence. As the became a huge and widespread disastercondition progresses to its final stages, because cows, who are natural herbivores,people become bedridden. The NHS says: were fed the remains of other sick cows 40 .Nothing can be done to prevent death inthese circumstances. 42People who eat parts of infected animals can develop vCJD, a condition that isTreatmentalways fatal. The disease can also beThere is no treatment for cows diagnosed transmitted via contaminated medicalwith BSE or for people with vCJD, although equipment and through blood transfusions.medications are given to help with the symptoms 43 .11'