Steve

We are traveling to England with a 4- and 1-year old. My wife is worried about Mad Cow disease, is it still a concern? Should we be extra concerned when traveling with young kids? <BR> <BR>

aaaxxx

Yes-still be concerned about MAD COW--as it takes up to 20 years to show up--Avoid all beef in England--try to stay with fish,chicken,pasta--DO NOT GO TO FAST FOOD PLACES like mcDOnalds--Mad COw was discovered in ground beef as it's the least regulated

Rex

Personally, I wouldn't take any advice on this from anyone who doesn't sign his or her name. <BR>

sylvia

As has been pointed out before, you are more likely to be run over by a mad double decker bus on the way to the restaurant than to get vCJD. <BR>The problem was with cheap burgers, sausages, pies etc. made from ALL the bits of the cow and I mean All the bits. Some cattle were also fed on meal made from dead aninals. Incidentally, the US has only recently stopped doing this. People who ate such things in the 70s and 80s are the ones at risk. Because of this, British regulations are super-strict, e.g. foreign meat with parts of spinal cord attached or hormone treated beef are banned from the UK. If you eat good English or Scottish beef which has been fed on grass, you will be eating the best tasting and safest beef you can get. <BR>Foot and mouth is harmless to humans and is actually a mildish disease in cattle. The reason for killing animals is purely economic because if the recover they don't thrive as well. Because all animals with the disease are burned or buried they do not get into the food chain. <BR>I personally would never eat in a MacDonalds, but that's on moral as well as health grounds. <BR>

Amanda

With young children you are wise to have some extra concern. Because there is so much uncertainty about the disease, how you get it, the incubation time, the extremely rare, but not impossible, likelihood that they would contract it, etc., you need to ask yourself, wouldn't it be best to just avoid beef during your trip to England so you won't have to worry about it affecting your children? Mad Cow is definitely still a concern, but if you don't eat beef you will have nothing to be concerned about, and know that you did your best possible to keep your kids safe from exposure this disease.

egg

Your children are far more likely to get salmonella etc. from American beef. Have a look at "Fast food nation". You will never want them to have another burger.