ABSTRACT
The epidemic of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in the UK can be analyzed using various methods and statistical models. To decide which is the right one requires a knowledge of the disease itself, how it multiplies, and how it is passed from one animal to another. Initial mathematics require simply an analysis of the Gaussian curve produced from results correlated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) in the UK (MAFF 1996a, b). However, such mathematical models cannot adequately predict the future of the disease, but alternative methods, which take into account the biology of the disease, can be used to give a better indication.
