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What are the common and scientific names for vCJD?
• Its scientifically known in humans as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) and in cattle it is known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).
• vCJD is the human form of Mad Cow Disease.
• BSE is the animal form of Mad Cow Disease.
How is vCJD caused?
• vCJD is caused by a specific protein called Prion. This Prion carries the disease from individual to individual.
• It becomes altered or “misfolded” which causes deterioration of the brain and spinal cord.
A “Mad Cow”.
Is vCJD infectious and how is it transmitted?
• Yes. vCJD is an infectious disease.
• It is transmitted through humans if they eat the meat of an infected cow, particularly the spinal cord or the brain that came from a cow with BSE.
• It is a very serious disease and affects the brain of both animals and humans. A vCJD
sufferers brain.
What are the symptoms of a person who has vCJD?
• The symptoms an infected person develops are changes in their behavior, lack of coordination and the ability to walk straight, memory loss and visual impairment.
• Once the disease has progressed into the middle and later stages mental deterioration becomes very obvious, with unintentional movements, blindness, weakness of limbs and infected persons may even go into a coma.
How is vCJD currently treated?
• There is currently no cure for vCJD.
• Although many drugs have been tried they have been ruled out when trying to cure vCJD.
• Some drugs such as, amantadine, steroids, interferon, acyclovir, antiviral agents and antibiotics have been tried but failed in all practical tests.
Is there an immunisation for vCJD?
• No. There is no immunisation yet that can prevent or stop the advancement of vCJD.
• There have been vaccine’s given to mice to stop them from developing a brain disease which has some similarities to the to the strain found in Cattle.
Is vCJD life threatening?
• Unfortunately the answer is yes for this one. Someone who is diagnosed with vCJD will eventually die as there is no cure at the present time.
• vCJD will usually appear in the later stages of life affecting both men and women between the age of fifty to seventy-five. About 90 percent of people who are diagnosed with the disease die within a year.
CJD is a deadly disease.
Is vCJD a common disease?
• No. vCJD is an extremely rare disease in Australia and the World.
• World wide it is said to affect only one in one million people.
• There are approximately 200 cases reported per year in the U.S, 30 of them being in Canada.
• In Australia around 20 people are diagnosed with the disease each year.
vCJD Bacteria.
Other interesting facts about vCJD.
• vCJD can be hereditary with five to ten percent of cases being inherited from family members.
• The ban on meat imports is being lifted in Australia next month.
• The disease was first diagnosed in 1996 in the United Kingdom.
• There are two different types of CJD, Classic CJD and variant CJD.
• The two differ as variant CJD is a Prion disease which is related to Mad Cow Disease (BSE).
• Classic CJD is not related to BSE.
Bibliography
• http://www.emedicinehealth.com/mad_cow_disease_and_variant_creutzfeldt-jakob_dis/article_em.htm
• http://www.ebi.ac.uk/interpro/IEntry?ac=IPR000817
• http://creativegumbo.net/cjdvoice/facts.htm• http://www.evilmamacow.org/vcjd.php • http://www.accessexcellence.org/WN/
NM/madcow96.php
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