d to humans. The human form of BSE, called new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is becoming more and more prevalent in England. Since 1995, over 80 cases have been diagnosed. 1 The majority of the victims of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease are between 50 and 70. Experts are not sure why this is, but they think it has something to do with the fact that the incubation period of prions can be over 30 years and may be triggered into action by the natural process of aging. 1 Symptoms of the disease start with seeming depression, then graduate into difficultyswallowing, muscle twitching, loss of speech, paralysis, and dementia. These symptoms can last anywhere from over a year to under a month, but always, the sure outcome is death. 2 Unfortunately, there is no cure for this disease. Doctors with CJD patients try to make them as comfortable as possible and treat the individual symptoms, but there is nothing they can do to stop or slow the progress of CJD. 2 England is taking great strides in prevention and control of this disease. So far, theyhave slaughtered over 400,000 cows that are suspected of having BSE and are doing research on many fronts: ways to destroy prions, prevention of the spread of BSE and Harris 3CJD, and they are also researching different products that contain cow by-products are in: different foods such as Jello, and also cosmetics. 1 More than four years after scientists discovered a link between "mad cow disease" and its human equivalent, doctors are still mystified by the illness for which there is no cure. Of the 84 people infected by new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease more than 70 have died and no one is sure how many others may be harboring the disease. Estimates of new infections range from hundreds to millions – a thought that is almost too sc...
