January 6, 2003 The New York Times

Eighteen people died in 2003 from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the agency said, up from 17 in 2002. The disease, known as V.C.J.D., is thought to stem from eating infected beef and attacks the human brain in much the same way as mad cow attacks the bovine brain.

To date, 139 people in Britain have died from "definite or probable" cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the Department of Health said, and another six are still living with the disease.