Talk:Mad cow disease
I reverted to an earlier edit since the additional "info" was opinion, and was not citing any statistical data or study. In fact, the citation at the end, is to an article that talks recent mad cow incidents, and in fact, has nothing to say about the proposed little harm of the disease. If you want to make a statement, saying that mad cows effects are statistically irrelevent, than cite a source for it.
The statistics are in the article
Note that over 34 million have been exposed, only 100 or so dead. Compare that to influenza, driving an automobile, etc.--Lawlesslaw 17:06, 4 Jan 2005 (EST)
Actually, no one really knows how many people have been exposed. Contrast the Internet Archive page thats cited saying 34 million.
No one has the remotest idea. Your guess is as good as anyone else's at present. Estimates range from a few dozens to Richard Lacey's nightmare scenario in which a whole generation of people could die. Recently, it was estimated that 34 million people could be infected by 1997.[1]
Saying that the article states UNANIMOUSLY that mad cow has infected 34 million is taking things out context.
Another study cited is equally non-specific, though far more conservative.
Research published this year by the Royal Society, Britain's academy of scientists, forecasts that as few as 10 additional people, or as many as 7,000, could eventually contract it.[2]
Thats not 34 million people. In fact we generally have no idea how many people have contracted CJD. The only definite number is the number of people who have died from it, which is pegged at 122 in Britain, and in the dozens in mainland europe.
- The 10 to 7000 person figure is an estimate of who might contract the disease, it does not contradict the figure that perhaps 34 million may have been exposed multiple times over many years. Obviously only a few, perhaps unfortunate, or perhaps genetically susceptible individuals will contract the disease. The 122 that have died is over a number of years. To keep this in perspective, in the United States, in 2001 alone, over 1.4 million' people died. There is too much fear mongering in this society and it is costing us too much of our liberty--Lawlesslaw 01:40, 5 Jan 2005 (EST)
