"The Lingering Mystery of Mad Cow Disease"

Mad cow disease, caused by prions, emerged in the 1980s, leading to a ban on British meat imports and the culling of millions of cattle. The disease, which can be transmitted to humans through contaminated meat, resulted in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and raised concerns about potential future cases. While the outbreak changed meat industry practices and led to blood donation restrictions, only a small number of vCJD cases have been reported. Prions also pose a threat in other animals, such as chronic wasting disease in deer, with potential implications for public health.