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Disease in Canada |
Mad Cow Disease in Canada
By Jay Makarenko
June 17, 2003
In May 2003, Canada confirmed its first domestic case of Mad Cow disease. The discovery
immediately set off a series of events, including a massive investigation and depopulation
effort by Canadian governments, and a ban on Canadian beef exports by the United States,
Japan and South Korea. The Mad Cow disease came to notoriety in the late 1990s, when
a massive outbreak occurred in the United Kingdom. It was at this time that scientists
discovered that a new variant of Mad Cow might be transmittable from cattle to human
beings through ingestion of beef.
This Spotlight focuses on Mad Cow and the medical and political issues surrounding
it. It includes the following topics:
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- Scientific information on the cattle form of Mad Cow, otherwise known as Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). Specific topics include: What is the disease?; What
causes it?; How is it transmitted between cattle?; How is it diagnosed?; and Can it
be treated?
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- Scientific information is provided on the human form of Mad Cow, otherwise known
as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Specific topics include: What is the disease?;
What are the different types of the disease?; How is it transmitted?; What are its
symptoms?; How is it diagnosed?; and Can it be treated?
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- Information on the nature and scope of Mad Cow and CDJ worldwide. Specific information
includes: Brief histories on Mad Cow and CDJ; the large outbreak in the UK in the
1990s; and worldwide statistics on cases of Mad Cow disease.
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- Information on the nature and scope of Mad Cow in Canada. Specific topics include:
The 1993 Mad Cow Case; the 2000 European Commission Report on Canada and Mad Cow;
the 2002 Human Mad Cow Case; the 2003 Mad Cow Case; the International ban on Canadian
beef; and the recent International inspection of Canadian beef practices.
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- Information of actions taken by the Canadian government to ensure the safety of
Canadian beef and the health of Canadians. Topics include: Past government action
and Current government strategies to Mad Cow.
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- Examination of criticisms of government action on the Mad Cow disease. This includes
calls by provincial governments for aid for the beef industry, and criticism of opposition
political parties in the House of Commons.
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- Links to Canadian and international web sites on the Mad Cow disease
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