All About Mad Cow Disease    [07-06-2008] These days, people in Korea are very worried about mad cow disease. This is because it is a very serious disease that affects the brain. You might have heard news reports about mad cow disease. But what is it? And why is it called mad cow disease? This week, let’s learn all about the deadly disease. Mad cow disease is a dangerous illness. It is also known as BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy). But why is it called mad cow disease? This is because it affects a cow’s nervous system, causing the cow to act “mad.” Cows with BSE lose control of their ability to do normal things. They cannot even walk. Cows with BSE develop these problems because they have developed an infection. This infection causes their brains to waste away and become spongy. Researchers believe the infection comes from certain kinds of food given to the cows. Some of this food contains the remains of dead cows that had the infection. These remains may contain BSE. In the U.S., two cases of mad cow disease in cows happened so far ? one in 2003 and one in 2005. If people eat BSE-infected meat, mad cow disease can be transmitted to them. The human form of the mad cow disease is called CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). But it is not contagious. It means a person cannot catch the disease from someone who has it. Also, a cow that has BSE cannot infect other cows. But the discovery of the BSE cases in the U.S. increases concern about the human form of the disease. Importing U.S. beef is a big issue in Korea these days. Everyone is worried about mad cow disease. But the government is working hard to protect us from the disease. You may also be worried about drinking milk. But you don’t have to worry about it. Even though it comes from cows, mad cow disease cannot be transmitted through milk or milk products.     출처: 어린이 영자신문 키즈타임즈 (www.kidstimes.net)