everything you ever wanted to know about mad-cow disease . . .

[OneBlueSky]

this site has a pretty comprehensive listing of articles and information about mad-cow disease and associated matters . . . good reference for those who want to keep on top of things . . .

http://organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm

and here's an article that summarizes the key points in a book called "Mad Cow USA", by one of its authors:

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17466

Mad Cow USA: The Nightmare Begins
By John Stauber, AlterNet
December 30, 2003

(snip)

The United States has spent millions of dollars on PR convincing Americans that mad cow could never happen here, and now the USDA is engaged in a crisis management plan that has federal and state officials, livestock industry flacks, scientists and other trusted experts assuring the public that this is no big deal. Their litany of falsehoods include statements that a "firewall" feed ban has been in place in the United States since 1997, that muscle meat is not infective, that no slaughterhouse waste is fed to cows, that the United States tests adequate numbers of cattle for mad cow disease, that quarantines and meat recalls are just an added measure of safety, that the risks of this mysterious killer are miniscule, that no one in the United States has ever died of any such disease, and on and on.

The latest spin is to blame the United States mad cow crisis on Canada. On Saturday, December 27, with no conclusive proof whatsoever, the United States Department of Agriculture announced that the mad cow in Washington state had actually entered the United States years ago from Canada. This set off an understandable howl from the Canadian government, and by Sunday the United States was forced to back off somewhat, but clearly the PR ploy is to get Americans thinking that this is Canada's problem, not ours.

(snip)

The feed rules that the United States must adopt can be summarized this way: you might not be a vegetarian, but the animals you eat must be. The United States must also institute an immediate testing regime that will test millions of cattle, not the 20,000 tested out of 35 million slaughtered in the past year in the United States. Japan now tests all cattle before consumption, and disease experts like Dr. Prusiner recommend this goal for the United States. And of course, no sick "downer" cows, barely able to move, should be fed to any humans. These are the type of animals most likely to be infected with mad cow and other ailments – although mad cows can also seem completely healthy at the time of slaughter, which is why testing all animals must be the goal.

- more . . .

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17466

[punpirate]

1. I would also recommend...

... Richard Rhodes' book, _Deadly Feast_. It's a good look at both the history and the medical and political ramifications of the disease.

Cheers.