Mad Cow Disease example essay topic

Rousseaus quote is about people coming together and following in one direction to help a situation, in a way which benefits society. Canadian meat exports were banned due to a recent case of Mad cow disease in Alberta. Canadians are proving Rousseaus quote true as they come together to support the sagging beef industry is this crisis. What is Mad Cow disease? Mad Cow Disease, or Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a chronic, degenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system of cattle.

BSE is one of several diseases categorized as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (Ties). The disease is believed to be caused by a "self-replicating" protein (a prion; PrP Sc) rather than a bacterium or virus. The human variant of BSE is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), it is a prion disease in humans. Though hereditary, a small number of CJD cases have been linked to BSE. CJD is a prion disease found in Humans. A Prion or 'Brain eater' is an infectious agent which causes various form of disease within humans and animals.

The diseases are characterised by loss of motor control, dementia, paralysis wasting and eventually death, typically following pneumonia. Visible end results at post-mortem are non-inflammatory lesions, vacuoles, amyloid protein deposits and astrogliosis. This was not the first case of Mad Cow disease in Canada, in 1993 a cow imported from Britian displayed symptoms and was destroyed. Later is was found that the cow carried the disease, and 5 other cows in its herd were killed to prevent spreading of the disease. Mexico and the United States put a temporary ban on Canadian Beef because of this, and Agricultural Officials decided it was best to destroy any animal imported from Britain between 1982 and 1990. In 1995 the disease resurfaced, but not as BSE this time as two cases of CJD, it was found that two blood donors had died from CJD.

In August of 2002 yet another human was claimed by CJD, a man in Ottawa died of CJD after a visit to the UK. In May 2003 veterinary officials confirmed a cow that had been sent to slaughter had infact had BSE. This has started an uproar in the Canadian Beef industry. Because of previous problems Canada no longer and has not since 1997, imported bone meal or meat from nations where mad cow disease is found. Though this was an isolated case, and the cow was destroyed many countries U. S and Japan have again, put a ban on importing meats from Canada. In July Mexico, one of Canada biggest importers of beef announced they may be ready to reopen their country to Canadian Beef, but Japan who had gone through their own Mad Cow crisis not more than two years ago refused to accept the meat.

In late August it was announced that Canadian Beef may be moving south of the border back to the U. S very soon. Canada since May has been taking many precautions and spent a lot of money to make sure this type of does not happen again. How did Canadians react to the news? Canadians through the crisis have been supportive of the farmers. Though most were cautious, many big grocery store chains have opted for selling only Canadian Beef. Also the Canadian McDonald's restaurant chain has decided to use only 100% Canadian Beef is their very popular Big Mac's.

August 22nd McDonalds gave out coupons for free Big Mac's for each purchased to help the Canadian Beef Industry. Alberta Agriculture Minister Shirley McClellan has said "We believe our food safety system is among the best in the world", on many occasions. Canadians seem to believe this and are celebrating their beef in support of the hurting industry. Rousseau's quote is evident in this situation, because this situation embodies a group of people, going with the general in order to better him and his fellow man. When our beef industry was sagging and other countries had banned our meats, Canadians came to the aid of their country, without hesitation and with lots of support. It shows that the values described by Rousseau are still evident in society even 300 years.