Since 1996, there has been increasing evidence that the outbreaks in Europe of mad cow disease were linked to a disease seen in humans called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). CJD is a rare, degenerative, fatal brain disorder. Though little is known about the disease, it is believed that it is contracted through the consumption of cattle products infected with mad cow disease. There is no known treatment for CJD, and it is invariably fatal.