September 20, 2000
		Mothers Transfer Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease to Their Babies A report printed in the British Sunday Telegraph revealed that doctors believe they have the first example of a baby born with the human form of the fatal "mad cow" disease. The mother of the 11-month old girl died of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD) earlier this year. The baby, who doctors believe contracted the disease in the womb, has brain damage and suffers from fits and convulsions, symptoms of nvCJD. The final diagnosis could only be made with a post mortem examination if the baby should die. Autopsies are the only way to conclusively identify the presence of nvCJD. Mad Cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform enchepalopathy (BSE), broke out in British herds after cows, by nature herbivorous animals, were fed sheep infected with scrapies. Scrapies, BSE and nvCJD are all brain wasting diseases. In related news, British scientists claim to have found the first evidence that nvCJD can be transmitted through blood donated from people with no symptoms of the disease. Dr Chris Bostock was quoted in the Lancet as saying, "This report suggests that blood donated by symptom-free vCJD-infected human beings may represent a risk of spread of vCJD infection among the human population of the UK."