No, it's important to note that BSE is not a contagious disease; spread occur through the ingestion of infected material, generally brain or spinal cord tissue.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a disease condition in cattle which is thought to have originated in Great Britain. It occurs in cattle between two and eight years old and is always fatal. The most plausible cause of the disease is a prion, a "self-replicating" protein, rather than a bacterium or virus. BSE causes a portion of the brain to become sponge-like.

A: Ichthyosis is definitely not contagious. It is not caused by a bacteria, virus, or germs, and thus it cannot be passed from one person to another.

There is still much debate in the scientific community regarding how BSE is spread. At the present time, BSE is thought to be spread in tissue from the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord) as well as distal ileum, some of which can be present in meat and bone meal. BSE is not spread by animal-to-animal contact. In other words, an animal infected with BSE cannot infect another animal with which it is penned or pastured.

No, epilepsy is never contagious. You cannot catch epilepsy from someone else and nobody can catch it from you.

In many respects, yes. If you have one on your feet, it would be unwise to pick at it and it can spread to someone else if that person has the potential towards getting that virus in the same way certain people have the potential for catching a certain cold. The wart virus likes to linger around moist environments such as pools, spas, locker rooms, public showers (such as those at the gym). Wearing flip flops or crocs in these areas is always a good idea.

Yes. About 1% of the population carries MRSA on the skin – they are considered to be ‘colonized’ with MRSA and are generally asymptomatic. People who are exposed to the organism from a carrier generally do not get sick from it, or develop only mild illnesses (similar to normal staph infections). However, if a minor infection is not cared for, or if there are other factors (e.g., compromised immunity), then the infection may become more serious.

EMS is not a contagious disease. There should not be fears about that. Naturally, chronic diseases such as EMS may have profound effects upon close family members of the sick person and might contribute to feelings of depression, anxiety, problems with children accepting the illness, or other physical and emotional conditions in loved ones. But this occurs with any chronic illness that goes on for many years - which is what a chronic illness is, an ongoing one.

Vitiligo is NOT contagious. If it were, many more people in the world, including doctors who treat vitiligo and family members of those with vitiligo, would have the condition. There are many theories about what causes vitiligo, but many experts believe, and data supports the theory, that one must be genetically susceptible, in order to develop vitiligo.

While the exact cause of the disease is not known, what is known indicates that Parkinson's is not contagious. Parkinson's is a neurological, not a mental, disorder. In the majority of cases, it slows the body, not the mind. However, when brain cells are affected by medication, some emotional changes can be expected. Anxiety and depression are very common among people with Parkinson's and may occur due to seratonin imbalance, a side effect of certain medications.

Smallpox is less contagious than chickenpox or measles. The great majority of people in a large room will become infected if even only one person has measles, whereas the highest risk for smallpox is face-to face contact, i.e. within 2 meters (6.5 feet). If there is personal protective equipment (fit-tested N-95 masks, gloves, etc.) on you and the patient, the risk of airborne spread becomes very low.

Yes, definitely. But they can't jump from head to head and they can't fly. The only way they can be transmitted is by direct contact (heads touching) or indirect contact (a hat passed around which has been worn by a person with headlice).

BSE was first observed in Great Britain in April 1985 and was officially diagnosed in 1986. By June 1990, some 14,000 cases were confirmed (out of an estimated population of 10 million cattle) in Great Britain. Since 1986, more than 185,000 cases of BSE have been confirmed in Great Britain. The epidemic peaked in 1992-93 at almost 1,000 new cases per week. Control measures have since reduced incidence of the disease, and currently fewer than 100 new cases are reported per week.

In May 2003, BSE was diagnosed in a cow in central Alberta. This was the first native-born case of BSE reported on the North American continent. On Dec. 23, 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that a Holstein cow in Washington had been diagnosed with BSE. The subsequent epidemiological investigation revealed that the cow originated in Canada. Since 1989, the U.S. has prohibited importation of ruminants and most ruminant products from countries affected by BSE.

In December 2003, a dairy cow went down after calving, was tested, and was found positive for BSE in the state of Washington. This is the only case of BSE ever reported in the United States and this animal was traced to a Canadian herd that was sold in a herd sale dispersal. Although a coordinated, effective response was made by the cattle industry, and State and Federal officials, public concern nationally and internationally was very high.

No. There is no treatment for BSE. The course of the disease varies from two weeks to 14 months, usually resulting in death or humane destruction within four months in countries where the disease is present. How long can BSE be in an animal before it shows signs of the disease? The incubation period (the time from when an animal becomes infected until it first shows disease signs) is from 30 months to eight years with only a few rare exceptions in younger animals.