Disease is more commonly known as mad cow disease vCJD is acquired from eating beef tainted with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). In the 1980s BSE was found in cattle throughout Britain. Infected cattle entered the food chain and was passed on to humans through the consumption of prion infested meat The age of onset is typically younger than regular CJD, with an average onset at 29 years old. The duration of the disease is usually longer than CJD, with death around 14 months of onset. So far, most cases have occurred in the UK. By February 2009, vCJD had killed 164 people in Britain, and 42 elsewhere. This spongiform encephalopathy has also killed zoo animals, other livestock, and even household pets that were fed infected meat Area’s of the brain damaged by vCJD tend to be consistent with CJD’s known targets, but there are more extensive spongiform changes. It effects hippocampus, thalamus, basal ganglia, cerebellum, and lymphatic tissue.