•Its scientific name is bovine spongiform encephalopathy which is spread by eating beef products from a cow that has been infected.
•The beef is infected when it’s exposed to tissue from the infected cow’s brain and spinal cord.
Image: FILE
Kenya has refuted claims that mad cow disease has been reported in the country.
Media reports indicated that the first case of an extremely rare mad cow-like disease was reported in Kenya.
But on Friday, the Ministry of Health said there was no such case reported.
But what exactly is mad cow disease?
Mad cow disease is the common name for a very rare and deadly brain disease.
Its scientific name is bovine spongiform encephalopathy which is spread by eating beef products from a cow that has been infected.
The beef is infected when it’s exposed to tissue from the infected cow’s brain and spinal cord.
Both animals and humans can get the disease. People get a version of BSE called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Mayo Clinic notes that the exact cause of the disease is still unclear, though according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most scientists believe that BSE results from an abnormal change in specific proteins called prions within the brain and nervous tissue of cattle.
Cattle get the disease by eating animal feed that includes the remains of infected cattle. Humans cannot get this form of the disease.
SYMPTOMS
According to the family doctor, it is difficult to diagnose mad cow disease until it’s reached the most serious symptoms such as depression and loss of coordination.
Afterwards, the patient will have dementia symptoms which can include serious declines in memory, thinking, and behavior.
Also, patients might have difficulty moving parts of their bodies, nerve issues, such as stinging, burning, or electric shock sensations in the extremities and face.
Coma and inability to walk is also some of the symptoms that a person can have.
When a scan is done on the patient, the doctors can see brain abnormalities giving the doctor a picture of the inside of your brain.
Abnormalities don’t show up on an MRI until near the end of the disease. The disease progresses quickly, and it leads to death around one year after symptoms appear.
Other possible causes are outliers, such as a case featuring in the New England Journal of Medicine of a technician who contracted the disease after cutting their thumb while handling diseased brain tissue.
TYPES
vCJD is just one type of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Other forms of the disease may occur that have no connection to mad cow disease.
The three other types of CVD are: Hereditary CJD: This type occurs in people who have a family history of the disease or a genetic mutation associated with CJD.
Acquired CJD: The acquired form transmits via exposure to brain or nerve tissue, generally during medical procedures and Sporadic CJD: This type appears when a person has no known risk factors.
Medical News Today, says that these forms of CJD usually appear later in life and have a very fast disease course. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) note that the onset of symptoms typically occurs around the age of 60 years and that about 70% of people die within 1 year.
There is no known cure for this disease. Instead, MNT says that treatment focuses on supporting the person and easing other symptoms they may feel as the disease progresses.
The disease also has been confirmed in cattle born in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K.
Canada has also been added to the list of countries from which imports are restricted, although that ban has been lifted recently. Importation of minimal-risk meat products is now allowed from Canada.