To date, there's never been a single case of it detected in the United States. Experts believe that the chance of contracting mad-cow from U.S. beef is quite small. We can't say the likelihood is zero, but it's close. It's a highly contagious virus that strikes cattle, goats, pigs and sheep. The disease doesn't effect humans.
Humans can be at risk to animals.
Any outbreak would mean euthanizing animals to keep the virus from spreading. And that could be unhealthy for the economy. The risk of it coming here is low, but it's real and we better be prepared for it if it arrives. But that hasn't stopped officials from moving emergency plans into place. All rights reserved.