Mad Cow Outbreak? I've long intended to do an extensive post on mad cow disease, but sadly, today isn't the day. For now, suffice it to say that a real threat of a mad cow epidemic exists due to our government's decidely lax standards regarding Mad Cow disease. When mad cow disease spreads to humans, it becomes CJD disease (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). 9 people have suspected cases of CJD in Idaho; the only way to test is after death by an autopsy. Usually Idaho has only one case per year. The attached report says that this isn't mad cow disease, silly, it's "sporadic CJD", the naturally occuring cousin of CJD. Of course, there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that the 9 cases are "sporadic CJD" because no tests have been done on the victims. This article just wants to refrain from sounding alarmist so it forecloses the possibility that the 9-fold increase in CJD might just have something to do with mad cow disease. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Eating beef these days is like having sex without a condom.